Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal, who has resigned from the post of Delhi CM, will vacate the Chief Minister’s official bungalow at Civil Lines within a couple of weeks, as per party sources. Kejriwal would also give up all government facilities he was entitled to as a Chief Minister, they added.
According to the rules, Kejriwal has to vacate the official bungalow within a month of his resignation. As per the party source, after leaving his official residence, Kejriwal and his family will stay in Delhi, and a search for suitable accommodation for them is underway.
Speaking on the issue, AAP MP Sanjay Singh said Kejriwal will vacate his house within a week. "There are also questions about his security, as there have been attempts to attack him several times in the past. People related to the BJP have carried out attacks. He has been physically injured. We are worried about his family. We tried to convince him but Kejriwal said that he has been in jail, where he lived among dreaded criminals, so God would protect him. He said he would live among the common people. It has not been decided yet where he will live. But soon a place will be found," Singh added.
Apart from a rent-free official residence, Kejriwal, as the Chief Minister of Delhi, was entitled to several other government facilities including, a higher salary than other MLAs, free medical treatment, tight security, travel reimbursements and 5,000 units of free electricity per month.
Kejriwal officially resigned from the post of Delhi CM on Tuesday, following which AAP leader and Kalkaji MLA Atishi took charge of the top post. On Sunday, while announcing his decision to resign as the chief minister of Delhi, Kejriwal accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of mudslinging and slandering him day and night, and asked people to decide whether he was honest or not.
The BJP has been alleging the official bungalow, whom the party calls 'Sheesh Mahal', was renovated by Kejriwal using crores from the exchequer's fund and against government rules. The 'Sheesh Mahal' scams, along with the alleged liquor scam had become a rallying point for the saffron party to try to dent Kejriwal's image in the last couple of years.
Kejriwal used to live in Kaushambi area of Ghaziabad before becoming the chief minister of Delhi for the first time in December 2013. He stayed at a house in Tilak Lane in central Delhi as the chief minister during his first two terms as CM. He moved to the 6, Flagstaff Road residence in north Delhi's Civil Lines area after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came back to power with a massive majority in February 2015 assembly polls.