‘Sheesh Mahal’ should be retained as ‘monument of corruption’: Devender Yadav

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief Devender Yadav said on Friday that the bungalow at 6 Flag Staff Road bungalow in Civil Lines, which former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reconstructed by spending several crores of tax payers’ money, should be retained as a “Monument of Corruption” by making it a public utility service centre.

The Congress leader said that instead of turning it into a hospitality venue, the bungalow should be retained so that commoners of the national capital could see how power corrupted a man who swore by the common people to name his political outfit ‘Aam Aadmi Party’ only to betray them after tasting the fruits of power.

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Yadav pointed out that according to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit report, the total cost for the renovation and additions to the bungalow, dubbed the “Sheesh Mahal,” was Rs 33.66 crore. Common citizens of the capital city must know how lavishly the bungalow was renovated for one man’s comfort.

According to him, the Delhi Congress had complained to the former Lieutenant Governor about the high cost of renovation of the Flag Staff Road CM’s official house, which was around Rs 70 crore, which was in flagrant violation of all building norms.
Yadav said it was shocking to understand that the present government’s Public Works Department (PWD) was allegedly planning to lease out the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ to a luxury hospitality operator, to validate the enormous funds spent on the illegal reconstruction of the bungalow by Kejriwal.

The Congress leader alleged that the PWD might spend more funds to renovate it. Instead, it should be maintained as it was when Kejriwal lived there, to expose his double standards.
He said that it was after the Congress petition to the LG that construction activity on the bungalow was put on halt, and an investigation started into the expensive renovations, leading to probes by multiple agencies.