 "Union Minister Harsh Malhotra questions Delhi CM's luxurious residence")
Union Minister of State, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Harsh Malhotra on Wednesday criticised the lavishness of Delhi Chief Minister’s official residence, pointing to rumours of “gold-plated commodes and washbasins”. Malhotra also criticised the Congress party for proposing the ‘Jeevan Raksha Yojana’ in Delhi, questioning why such schemes had not been implimented in states where the party holds power.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Malhotra said, “Have you ever seen gold-plated commodes and washbasins, even in the residence of any royal in the world?” He also asked, “Have they (Congress) announced this scheme in the states where they have a government? Why announce it in Delhi?”
On the other hand, the BJP candidate Ashish Sood also attacked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), stating, “This isn’t an announcement for the election date but for when Delhi will be free from the AAP-DA government.” He also questioned Congress’s commitment to the scheme, saying, “They didn’t implement this scheme in their own states. How will they manage it here with just 2,000 votes?”
AAP’s response
In response, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj dismissed the allegations about the Chief Minister’s residence. Speaking at a press conference, he said, “I will try to find out where the ‘alishan swimming pool’ and ‘golden commodes’ are. I was also told there’s a bar at the residence – I’ll look for that too.”
“We will also check the residence of the Prime Minister and check what kind of facilities are being provided at the PM’s residence,” he remarked.
Bharadwaj further clarified, “Both the CM’s and PM’s residences are government properties, not personal homes, and were built using taxpayers’ money and hence we think that the BJP won't have any issue with the media’s presence in the PM’s residence.”