Rs.27 lakh fine levied by PWD is BJP conspiracy, says AAP

AAP leaders term notice ‘erroneous’, claim party being denied an office in city

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday alleged that the ₹27 lakh fine imposed on it for the “unauthorised occupation” of a bungalow here was part of a conspiracy hatched by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Public Works Department has issued a notice to AAP national secretary Pankaj Gupta over the party’s continued occupation of 206, Rouse Avenue on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg as its office.

Sources said that as on May 31, the fine, which is essentially the penal rent, amounted to ₹27,73,802.

‘Fine amount to rise’

“The fine amount will increase in proportion to the delay on part of the party in vacating the property,” an official said. The allotment was cancelled in April on orders of the Lieutenant-Governor after the PWD concurred that the “it was done in violation of the rules”.

The Shunglu Committee had raised questions on the allotment as no approval was taken from the Lieutenant-Governor despite land being a subject under the Centre’s purview.

“It is clear that this decision to allot land to political parties was really to validate allotment of government accommodation to the AAP and nothing more, because, it is common ground that the elected government does not have any power to deal with the subject of land, let alone allot it. Therefore, to house the office of the AAP, the only choice was to allot a government residential accommodation [sic],” the committee report read.

AAP leaders, however, described the PWD notice as “erroneous” and “a conspiracy against the party”.

‘No response received’

“Both BJP and Congress have separate national and State-level offices. AAP, too, is a State-level party. But it is being denied an office even when it is in power,” said a party leader, who did not wish to be named.

He further said that the department had served an erroneous notice. “In reply to the cancellation notice, we had sought some details. The department, however, did not bother to reply. Instead, it issued an erroneous one-line rent notice,” the leader said, adding that the party was exploring legal options.

Operations since 2016

The single-storey four-bedroom house with a huge garden, from where the AAP has been operating since January 25, 2016, is located opposite the Delhi Congress office. Before it was allotted to the AAP, the property was occupied by former Delhi Ministers.