Delhi CM Atishi was seen working for the people of Delhi from her private residence, surrounded by a pile of packed belongings, on Thursday. The visuals marked the first time the CM was seen following her eviction & the sealing of the Chief Minister’s residence.
The Delhi CM issued her first reaction to the controversy saying, “BJP ko Bungalow Mubarak”, congratulating the BJP on seizing control of the CM residence. She also expressed her commitment towards the public saying she is happy to work from the streets and serve Delhiites if she needs to.
On Wednesday, on BJP’s instructions, the LG had CM Atishi’s belongings thrown out of the CM residence. Sharing pictures of Atishi working from home on social media, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that this is the spirit of working for the people. “They can remove her belongings from the CM residence, but they cannot take away her will to serve the people,” the party stated.
CM Atishi said that if BJP gets peace of mind by occupying the Chief Minister’s residence, then they are welcome. AAP MLAs and ministers have not come into politics for CM residence, big bungalows or big cars. “We have come to work for the people of Delhi. If needed, we will work for the people of Delhi even by sitting on the road. Congratulations to BJP for all these bungalows, we live in the hearts of Delhiites,” she asserted.
Delhi Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj remarked that the AAP had consistently raised concerns about how many initiatives of the Delhi government had been stalled by officers acting on the orders of the LG. He stated, “Pensions for senior citizens were stopped, data entry operators in hospitals were removed, free tests for people in Mohalla clinics were halted, and funds for water and sewage projects were blocked.
The Delhi Cabinet shared, “Whenever we wrote to the LG, the response was, ‘These departments are under your control.’ Yes, the departments are ours, but control over the officers lies with the LG. The LG is manipulating the officers like puppets, and the biggest example of this came to light in front of the entire country yesterday.”
Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj explained that the PWD (Public Works Department) is directly overseen by Chief Minister Atishi, as it is her department and a transferred subject that falls under the elected government’s jurisdiction.
“Despite this, the PWD officers sealed the house of a sitting Chief Minister, which is a very serious issue. The question is, how, despite it being her department, are the officers being controlled like puppets by the LG? 3 days ago, the same PWD officials handed official CM residence’s keys to Atishi, telling her she should shift to her own home, where her belongings had been shifted,” highlighted the Delhi Minister.
Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj further questioned, “Why is such petty politics being played? There is so much work to be done in Delhi, with hundreds of tasks awaiting the elected government and the LG. Yet, look at the situation—gangsters are operating freely, with daily incidents of murder, rape, chain-snatching, mobile thefts, and robberies, while the LG remains unhinged. He doesn’t even take the time to inspect police stations or address the dire condition of the DDA (Delhi Development Authority). How does the LG find the time and energy to focus so intently on such trivial matters?”
He criticized the prevailing politics over the issue, stating, “This is nothing but the lowest level of politics. When our two ministers, Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodia, resigned, it was widely known that Atishi and I were officially assigned their houses. The house at AB 17 Pragati Maidan, located on Mathura Road, was under Manish Sisodia’s name. After his resignation, it was allocated to Atishi, even though his family had been living there for so long.”
The Delhi Minister raised a question about the management of the property, asking, “Have you ever seen a situation where PWD officials take the house keys, throw the family’s belongings out, lock it for two days, and claim an inventory is being made inside? Then they hand over the keys to Atishi?” He asserted that such an event did not occur. Instead, as soon as Manish Sisodia resigned, the house was transferred to Atishi, and his family remained disturbed throughout the process.
He also referenced Satyendar Jain’s house in Civil Lines, noting that everyone knew he had resigned and his nameplate had been removed. “When he went to jail, we were not so heartless as to throw his wife and children out immediately. They stayed there for some time while their ancestral home, which had been closed for five years, was being repaired. Did you ever see Jain’s family being thrown out, with a PWD lock placed on the house, inventory checked, and then handed over to someone else? No,” reasoned the Delhi Minister.
He explained that in Satyendar Jain’s case, his house is still locked, with all of his family’s belongings inside, awaiting a decision. He remarked, “The BJP has lost all sense of shame. They think they can say anything and put it on TV, but people are becoming increasingly frustrated with this. They need to focus on their work and let us do ours.”
Finally, he posed a question: “If they are not going to work themselves, why are they meddling in every department of the elected government? If things are to go by the bureaucratic process, then nothing will be accomplished. The LG says that CPWD falls under his jurisdiction, but it is also part of the country.”
He added, “What about the ministers who have switched from being MPs to being part of the central government? If the LG knows all the rules and regulations, will they just throw the MP’s belongings onto the street and lock their house? Will CPWD make an inventory of that? We could find the MP’s belongings lying in front of India Gate!”
“There’s a transition phase that the LG doesn’t seem to understand. I feel very sorry for the people of Delhi. The LG is not doing any work at all,” he said.
Saurabh Bharadwaj highlighted, “It’s amusing how the LG remains silent on matters involving gangsters and murders, but he’s vocal when it comes to petty issues. They’ve put the whole city on edge with arbitrary decisions. He doesn’t comment on the illegal cutting of 1,100 trees or provide clarity on these matters. But on trivial things, like how keys were handed over, they quickly jump in.
“I want the LG to reflect on his actions—look at how far he’s dragged the office down. Meaningful work should be prioritized, like reappointing marshals in buses, but instead, they are getting involved in these minor matters,” asserted Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj.
Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “I am very sad and surprised for the people of Delhi because LG Saab does not want to do any work in his life. He is just stopping the work. But let us work. The people of Delhi are very upset with the LG. Like it is said about Jammu and Kashmir that BJP was defeated by their LG in the Jammu and Kashmir elections, I have heard this in many news channels that the people of Jammu and Kashmir did not like LG Manoj Sinha. That is why people did not vote for BJP there. Otherwise, Jammu and Kashmir was ruled by them for 6-7 years.
“BJP’s LG Manoj Sinha was ruling in Jammu and Kashmir. He had everything. A government of double-triple engines was running there. The center was at the top, their LG was below. The public should have made him win, but they did not. Because the public is very unhappy with all these things. The same thing is now being done by BJP’s LG in Delhi and the public is very unhappy with him. The biggest example of this is why does the BJP not make LG its face? BJP will not make him its face because they also know that LG Saab is very unpopular among the people of Delhi. And LG Saab also knows this,” affirmed the Delhi Minister.
