New Delhi:
The Centre has ordered a probe into alleged irregularities in the renovation of the former official residence of ex-Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The investigation was ordered following the submission of a report by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) on February 13.
The CPWD has been directed to conduct a detailed inquiry into allegations that building norms were violated to construct the 6 Flagstaff Road Bungalow, an extravagant residence sprawling over 40,000 square yards (8 acres). The inquiry is expected to probe whether government regulations were bypassed to facilitate the construction of what the BJP has dubbed the “Sheeshmahal.”
On Monday, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva urged Lt Governor VK Saxena to annul the merger of four government properties with the 6 Flagstaff Road bungalow.
Mr Sachdeva, in a letter to Lt Governor Saxena, alleged that the bungalow’s expansion had been carried out through the unauthorised merger of four government properties.
He also declared that once the BJP forms the government in Delhi, the newly elected Chief Minister will not occupy the bungalow.
The reconstructed bungalow served as Mr Kejriwal’s official residence from 2015 until October 2024. He vacated the premises after resigning as Chief Minister under intense political scrutiny from the BJP, which had made corruption a central theme of its electoral campaign for the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections.
The PWD report, released in October 2024, highlighted luxurious renovations and high-end appliances installed at the bungalow. This provided ammunition to the BJP in its campaign against the AAP leadership.
During a political rally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a veiled attack on Mr Kejriwal, stating: “In the last 10 years, Delhi has been plagued by an ‘AAPda’. AAP has descended as a calamity on Delhi. I could have built a ‘Sheeshmahal’ too, but I chose to build more than 4 crore homes for the poor.”
Mr Kejriwal dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, accusing the BJP of using personal attacks to divert attention from its alleged failures in Delhi.
The BJP has, for over two years, relentlessly targeted Mr Kejriwal over allegations of corruption and misuse of public funds, particularly regarding the lavish renovations and extravagant interiors of the bungalow.
The campaign worked as the BJP ended AAP’s rule over the national capital to return to power after over 26 years. The BJP won 48 of the 70 assembly seats, AAP won 22 and the Congress scored a duck.
