Kejriwal to shift house; Where's austerity? Asks BJP

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.