The tussle between the AAP and the Centre intensified on Thursday over allegations of eviction of Atishi from her official residence. Delhi’s Chief Minister accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of hijacking the issue.
She dramatically said, “If the BJP wants to stay in this bungalow, it can do so, declaring that AAP leaders “reside in the hearts of people.
Atishi accused the BJP of trying to topple the AAP government in Delhi through “Operation Lotus,” a term used by opposition parties to describe alleged attempts by the BJP to lure and bribe legislators to help it form a government in states where it has lost.
The BJP is scared because it knows it cannot defeat us in the elections. When they cannot form the government through an election, they are indulging in ‘Operation Lotus’ and even sending our leaders to jail. And when they do not have their chief minister, they talk about stealing the chief minister’s bungalow. If this will give them solace, they are free to do so,” she added.
Atishi also pointed out that AAP did not come into politics to live a luxurious life: “If needed, we will run the government from the streets. The BJP may take the bungalow; we keep flourishing in people’s hearts.”.
She took oath as chief minister on September 21, after Arvind Kejriwal resigned. Kejriwal had resigned following a Supreme Court bail in a case related to the excise policy, saying that he would return only if AAP is re-elected in this month’s Delhi Assembly elections and people give him ‘Nyay.’
Earlier this week, AAP claimed that Atishi was forced to vacate the official residence, used earlier by Kejriwal, within two days of her moving into the house. The CMO termed it a first in the country’s history when an “attempted forcible vacation” of a chief minister’s residence was done at the BJP’s behest.
In response, the office of Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has claimed that Atishi had stored her belongings in the bungalow before its official allotment and removed them herself.
