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Kejriwal prepares to move into new duplex house; AAP ministers get Toyota Innova cars as official perks

Delhi CM to move into new duplex house; AAP Ministers get Innova cars as official perks.

New Delhi: After having refused a bungalow, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will soon be shifting to a five-bedroom duplex flat in central Delhi from his current residence in the Kausambi locality of Ghaziabad.

Kejriwal has been allotted two five-bedroom duplex flats on Bhagwan Das Road, of which one is to be used as his office.

But the allotment of the flats saw BJP MLAs come down hard upon Kejriwal in the Delhi Assembly as the party charged that the CM's decision to accept the two flats was in 'total contradiction' of AAP's claim that it will practice austerity.

"Allotment of two big flats to the Chief Minister has exposed the party. It is in total contradiction of their stated position. Their resolve to remain Aam Aadmi fell flat," senior BJP leader Sahab Singh Chouhan said in the Assembly.

Kejriwal and his six ministers had decided not to stay in any government bungalows but instead live in modest flats.

"I have been given two separate houses, each having five bedrooms. You can take your camera and check the houses. I will be living in one of those with my family while using the other as my office where we can work till late hours," Kejriwal told reporters.

"Now, I will live with my family in the five-bedroom house. Earlier, I was living in a four-bedroom apartment, that's the only difference," he said.

Kejriwal has been living in a society flat in Kausambi and had refused to shift to a Type-Seven bungalow which he is entitled to after having taken oath as the Chief Minister on December 28.

His team had finalised the two flats on Bhagwan Das Road after scanning a number of government flats near the Delhi Secretariat around Indraprastha Extension.

Delhi government ministers are entitled to Type-Six or Type-Seven bungalows with three-bedrooms. Sheila Dikshit has since 2003 been staying at a Type-8 bungalow on 3, Motilal Nehru Marg in Lutyens Delhi.

Sources said that the accommodation for Kejriwal was finalised after his family saw the place last week. The flats are being renovated and Kejriwal is likely to shift after two-three days.

Aam Aadmi Party Ministers of Delhi, except the CM, were on Friday given Toyota Innova cars as official perks.

A number of ministers, including Manish Sisodia, Rakhi Birla and Saurabh Bhardwaj, came to Delhi Assembly complex in official cars. Asked if coming by such cars was reflective of practising austerity, Kejriwal downplayed it saying the party never said it's ministers will not use official cars.
"We never said anything about not using cars. We said we will not use red beacon cars," Kejriwal said in reply to a volley of questions by reporters.
The acceptance of official cars by the ministers came a day after the AAP government won a trust vote in the assembly with Congress support. A number of AAP Ministers and MLAs had come to Delhi Assembly using public transport like metro and auto-rickshaw in the last few days in tune with their 'aam aadmi' credentials.
Asked about the issue, Sisodia said the party was opposed to the VIP culture and there was nothing wrong in taking official cars.
"We are opposed to the VIP culture of ministers and bureaucrats using red and blue beacons on their cars and not against using government cars. We are against taking big bungalows," Sisodia said. Asked whether Kejriwal will also accept a government car, Sisodia refused to answer.
"My car did not have fuel and I had given my ATM card to my wife. So I had to use the government car," said Bhardwaj, Minister for Transport, Food Supplies and Enviornment. He also defended his cabinet colleague Birla accepting the car saying 'she is a woman and as a minister she has to commute even during night time'.
( Source : PTI )
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