Rahul Gandhi says file burning won't help Modi

Fire at Shastri Bhavan

A fire that broke out in Shastri Bhavan, which houses several ministries in the national capital, on Tuesday triggered a political war of words with Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeting that burning files will not save Narendra Modi government.

A blaze was reported from the sixth floor of Shastri Bhavan, located 500 metres from Parliament House complex, at around 2.15 PM following which seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

The fire was later brought under control by 2.55 PM and none was injured in the incident but it started a fire elsewhere with Rahul's tweet.

"Modi-ji, burning files is not going to save you. Your day of judgement is coming," he tweeted.

However, the Delhi Fire Service denied that any files were destroyed in the fire. It said the fire broke out in the terrace of the sixth floor where waste material, old furniture and discarded computers were kept.

"Rahul Gandhi-ji, stop peddling lies! The fire in Shastri Bhavan has caused no damage to any files. The waste and scrap kept on the top floor caught fire and was extinguished within 30 minutes. Do your homework before casting allegations. One more jhoot of Congress!", Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted in response to Rahul's allegation.

Government buildings in the capital are prone to fire incidents, though most of them minor in nature. Fire officials had on several occasions claimed that the blaze was reported due to a short circuit in these buildings.