The Impressive TimesNEW DELHI, 06 June: Just three months after coming to power in Delhi, the BJP’s carefully crafted image of “simple living and high thinking” lies in tatters. The same party that raged against the former government’s Chief Minister residence during the election campaign has now handed its own Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, not one but two sprawling bungalows with 30 rooms on Raj Niwas Marg. Massive generators have been installed to ensure the CM remains unaffected by Delhi’s frequent power cuts.
Exposing this hypocrisy, senior AAP leader and MLA Anil Jha slammed the BJP, stating, “Their lofty speeches about austerity and nation-building are nothing more than a farce to mislead the public. The reality is that these leaders have no concern for the poor.”
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters on Friday, senior AAP leader and MLA Anil Jha stated, “The BJP, both at the Centre and now in Delhi, used to talk of ‘simple living and high thinking.’ Its leaders often claimed that they would dedicate every last moment of their lives to nation-building, uphold moral values, and pursue a politics rooted in ethics. But today, the BJP has captured the Delhi government by misusing its power and orchestrating a political heist in the Municipal Corporation. The reality of their so-called simplicity has been laid bare within just three months of coming to power in Delhi,” said Anil Jha.
The AAP MLA pointed out the BJP’s long history of criticising the previous government for enjoying so-called luxuries. “They would ask, ‘Why do Chief Ministers and Ministers need these facilities?’ Now that they have formed a four-engine government in Delhi, they have shamelessly abandoned their claims of modesty and transformed their behaviour overnight. The people of Delhi need to reflect on this complete shift in BJP’s conduct. These are the same leaders who used to preach ‘politics of probity’ and claim they would think of the poorest first, and of themselves later,” he added.
Anil Jha revealed that BJP’s Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has been allotted two lavish bungalows at 1/8 and 2/8 Raj Niwas Marg, comprising a total of 30 rooms—15 in each. “Renovation work has already been ordered. Fourteen 62 KVA generators are being installed to ensure uninterrupted power, even during outages. We will also examine how many ACs are being installed, the kind of carpeting being done, and the scale of these renovations,” said Anil Jha.
He recalled the words of Lakshmi Bai Kelkar, founder of the Rashtriya Sevika Samiti, who had envisioned women taking leadership roles in value-based politics. “That dream might have been fulfilled with Delhi getting a woman CM, but the Dindayal Upadhyay research institute’s ‘intellectuals’ have decided to house her in a 30-room ‘Maya Mahal’. Delhi will now be run from this palace of illusion,” he said mockingly.
Anil Jha noted the BJP’s double standards by citing examples of other BJP CMs. “When BJP leaders accuse AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal of indulgence, they remain silent on Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, who resides in a 60-room royal mansion. Or the opulence of the Bhopal CM’s residence. Now Delhi’s CM will rule from a Maya Mahal. Just four months ago, Rekha Gupta was travelling in a regular car. Today, she has a 13-car convoy and 45 security officers. She holds the portfolios of Women and Child Development as well as General Administration—does she need separate cars for ministers, children, religious advisors, and even pets?”
He questioned the very notion of “politics of integrity” that the BJP claimed to champion. “Why does a CM who claims to follow probity need 13 luxury cars, 45 security officers, and dedicated manpower for traffic clearance?”
Anil Jha also criticised the BJP for its betrayal of the poor. “They claimed they would work for ‘Antyodaya’, but what is the state of Delhi’s poor today? Jhuggis are being bulldozed. Street vendors are being evicted from Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, and across Delhi. People selling socks, towels, sweet potatoes, and jaljeera are being removed. Is this a pro-poor government or a coordinated conspiracy against the marginalised?”
He added, “This Maya Mahal will become the nerve centre of a conspiracy to destroy Delhi’s soul. A few months ago, BJP leaders and the so-called intellectuals of the Dindayal Institute questioned every rupee spent on public welfare. Today, they are building a 30-room palace for their CM. Why doesn’t Rekha Gupta stay in the residence already allotted to her? What justifies this extravagant waste of public money?”
Anil Jha concluded with a stern warning: “The Chief Minister is misusing public funds—on convoys, security, and personal luxury. This is an abuse of taxpayer money, and the Aam Aadmi Party strongly condemns it. The only question now is: how will Delhi be governed from this Maya Mahal? This is not governance; this is an arrogant display of power with no concern for the poor.”
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