Take away office, will operate from streets, says Kejriwal

After Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal cancelled the land allotment for the office of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, the party on Saturday challenged the order by saying it will operate its office from the streets of Delhi.

Coming down hard on the LG, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the cancellation of AAP's office allotment was part of a larger design to "finish" the party.

He said the party is being "victimised" and "discriminated against" for taking on the ruling mafia and siding with the poor, and asserted that AAP is ready to operate from the "streets".

"They want to finish us, they want to close AAP. But it won't happen as we are on the path of truth. People will teach them a lesson in the polls.

"Having an office is our right. We are not seeking a favour. It was allotted legally. We will place a fresh demand for an office. People are already offering us space," Kejriwal said.

The office allotment to the AAP by the Kejriwal government was cancelled by the LG on Friday, after the report filed by the Shunglu Committee pointed out "irregularities" in the allotment.

AAP's office on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg was shut down on charges that it was wrongly allotted to the party. The party has denied the charge.

Kejriwal pointed out that it was ironical that the Congress, which has no seats in the Delhi Assembly, not only had its national headquarters in Delhi but a separate Delhi office too.

It had two other offices as well, in addition to a plot of land in Delhi, Kejriwal further said. "But a party with 67 of the 70 seats in the assembly now has no office."

Similarly, the Bharatiya Janata Party and its affiliates had a total of seven offices in the Capital, including one for its Delhi office, the national convenor of AAP stated.

Even parties like the Rastriya Janata Dal and Bahujan Samaj Party had offices in Delhi, he pointed out. "So why are they doing this to us? What is our crime," Kejriwal questioned.

Kejriwal wondered aloud why the Congress and the BJP, despite having negligible presence in the Delhi Assembly, have multiple office accommodations and plots.

"This must be the first time in independent India that a ruling party is being denied office space in the state where it is in power," he told a press conference at his residence.

The Chief Minister also linked the cancellation to AAP's promise of abolishing house tax if voted to power in the Municipal Corporations, which go to polls on April 23.