Since Monday evening, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues have been spending all their time in a 12’ by 6’ visitors’ room adjacent to the office of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.
A waiting room for the L-G’s VIP guests, it is the second largest in the Raj Niwas, after the chamber where public grievances are heard.
It is air-conditioned, and there are two cushioned chairs and an L-shaped sofa.
While it has no television, it receives newspapers every morning.
Access to Raj Niwas is restricted, but food and tea from the CM’s residence has been allowed in every day, as well as insulin for Mr. Kejriwal, a diabetic, and medication for Ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai.
Raj Niwas sources say, “the usual courtesies befitting individuals occupying such offices as the Chief Minister and Cabinet Ministers” were being extended, which included tea and biscuits and assistance by staff and custodial staff.
Aam Aadmi Party sources say their leaders had not changed clothes since Monday evening.
The waiting room has a washroom spacious enough for a bath, but whether it has bathing facilities is also unclear, as is whether the protestors have been able to get a shower since the sit-in began.
AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said that while the BJP leaders who protested at the CM’s office on Wednesday demanded a television and a fan inside an air-conditioned room, “There have been no extra facilities provided to the Chief Minister and Ministers.”
