'Sheesh Mahal' row: AAP leaders to accompany media on visit to Delhi CM residence

 AAP on Wednesday said Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and Delhi minister Saurabh Bhardwaj would accompany the media on a tour of the chief minister's residence, which the BJP claims was turned into a "Sheesh Mahal" during Arvind Kejriwal's tenure.

Singh and Bharadwaj told reporters at a press conference that they would also take reporters to the prime minister's residence, which AAP has dubbed "Raj Mahal" and claimed was built at a cost of 2,700 crore.

The "Raj Mahal" jibe is part of AAP's counter allegation that the prime minister leads a luxurious lifestyle.

"As promised, we will visit the chief minister's official residence at 6, Flagstaff Road, at 11 am and try to find the golden commode, swimming pool, and mini bar that the BJP claims are present there," Bharadwaj said.

"It should be noted that both these properties are government residences. They were built with taxpayers' money and came up during the Covid pandemic. If there are allegations of misappropriation of funds, both should be investigated," he added.

The 6, Flagstaff Road, bungalow has sparked controversy over alleged irregularities in its renovation and costly fittings and household goods present in it.

The BJP has focussed a big part of its assembly election campaign around these allegations, dubbing the bungalow "Sheesh Mahal".

The saffron party's Delhi chief Virendra Sachdeva has claimed that valuable items, including a "golden commode", were missing after the bungalow was vacated by Kejriwal.

On Tuesday, AAP challenged the BJP to open the prime minister's residence for a media visit to reveal the reality while also offering to take reporters on a tour of the chief minister's residence.