Delhi Speaker Junks Rs 94-Lakh Bathroom Makeover Claim, Congress Hits Back
A fresh political face-off has erupted between the Delhi Assembly Speaker and the Congress over the alleged Rs 2.35 crore renovation of the Speaker's official residence, including a reported Rs 94.69 lakh spent on bathrooms alone.
The war of words has escalated after Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav dubbed the residence 'Shauchmahal', mirroring the BJP's earlier 'Sheeshmahal' jibe at former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Speaker Vijender Gupta's office, in a formal letter to Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) President Devender Yadav, has demanded an immediate withdrawal of his remarks and an unconditional apology within three days. Calling the allegations "baseless," the letter accused Mr Yadav of misrepresenting facts and undermining the dignity of a Constitutional post for political mileage.
The letter also disputed the Congress' claim that the residence in question is located at 9, Shamnath Marg, asserting that it is not the Speaker's official address. It warned that such "false and misleading" statements were unbecoming of a former MLA.
Mr Yadav, however, has refused to back down. The DPCC said the figures cited were based on official documents and publicly available records, including the Delhi government's own website, and insisted the concerns raised were valid.
"We stand by the facts. If public money is being spent excessively on luxury renovations, the public has a right to know," the Delhi Congress letter said, claiming that the Speaker, who once criticised the former CM's residence renovation as 'Sheeshmahal', should apply the same standards to his own office.
The Congress also questioned the Speaker's outrage, asking "Why object to a statement based on government records? Why demand an apology for asking questions of public interest?"
The party has framed the issue as one of transparency and accountability. "We have raised the issue of the expenditure involved in the renovation of the Speaker's official residence in the same spirit of accountability responsibility we share as representatives of a responsible national opposition party," their response read.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
36 minutes ago
- News18
Elon Musk On Warpath With Trump, But Tesla And Starlink To Make Big Bang Indian Debut
Last Updated: Elon Musk's Tesla and Starlink are both entering India this week. Tesla's first showroom opens in Mumbai while Starlink promises high-speed internet Elon Musk may now be on the warpath with US President Donald Trump, but his two major companies – Tesla and Starlink – are on the cusp of entering India. This means cutting-edge electric vehicle technology coming to India, along with the fastest satellite connectivity. This week, on Tuesday (July 15), Tesla's first showroom will open in India at Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex. Tesla announced its entry into India with a new X handle. The company is calling its showroom as an 'experience centre" and five Model Y vehicles are said to have landed in the city ahead of the launch. Delhi's Aerocity could have the second showroom by the end of this month. And, when can you book and get a Tesla? August or September. But be prepared to cough up a bomb – almost Rs 65 lakh to Rs 70 lakh, which is double of what the Model Y costs in the United States. Well, the reason is that Tesla cars are being directly imported so far and, hence, cannot escape the 70 percent import duty that India charges. Then there are other surcharges and registration costs. The import duty would have been 110 percent, but India reduced it to 70 percent earlier this year to enable Tesla's entry. Tesla, so far, has no plans to manufacture its EV in India – something that the Narendra Modi-led government wants Musk to do so that the cars can become affordable for Indians and also create jobs here. Tesla for now will be importing the cars. India could be the biggest EV maker in the years to come – and Tesla no longer wants to miss out on the early mover advantage. But at a price tag of Rs 65 lakh to Rs 70 lakh, Tesla is not challenging the big players in India's EV market – from Mahindra to Tata, which have far more affordable offerings. Even BYD is competitively priced. Musk's other big offering – Starlink – is also set for an Indian debut in the next few days. India officially opened its doors to Starlink last week to launch internet services. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre granted a nod to Starlink Satellite Communications, signalling the country's growing embrace of private space and communication technology. This will enable provisioning of the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, namely Starlink Gen1, and the private company can provide satellite communication services in India for the next five years. The Starlink Gen1 Constellation is a global constellation with 4,408 satellites orbiting Earth at altitudes varying between 540 km and 570 km, capable of providing ~600 Gbps throughput over India. Again, the Starlink service will come at a higher cost than your regular broadband or WiFi service but will be much faster. Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia recently told News18 that India will be the biggest market for Satcom in the coming years. 'This (Starlink) is the third (satcom) licence being given out in India, and there are others also in queue. India is ready as a vibrant market to welcome every player into our country if they check all the boxes. Licence will be given, spectrum will be given on an administratively assigned system, price of which will be determined by regulatory authority. The market is wide open to come and service our customers," Scindia had said. view comments First Published: July 14, 2025, 07:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
36 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Not foreigners, Biharis will decide fate of Bihar: BJP
The BJP on Sunday (July 13, 2025) slammed the Opposition parties for raising questions on the ongoing scrutiny of electoral rolls in Bihar and said only 'Biharis' will decide the fate of the State in the upcoming Assembly polls, not foreigners or illegal immigrants. The criticism came the same day officials said that field agents of the Election Commission have found "a large number of people" from Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar in their house-to-house visits, made as part of the ongoing intensive review of the voter list in Bihar. They asserted that the names of illegal migrants will not be included in the final electoral roll, to be published on September 30. A proper enquiry of such people will be conducted after August 1. Asked for comment, BJP national spokesperson and former Union Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain told PTI Videos, "None of those who are residents of Bihar and valid voters in the state are facing any problem with the electoral rolls' revision." But illegal immigrants and foreigners like those from Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh cannot be included in the voter list, the BJP leader said. "Biharis will decide the fate of Bihar by casting their votes, not citizens of other countries," he added. Another BJP national spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawalla, hit out at the Congress and the RJD, alleging that illegal immigrants from various countries were "brought and settled down" during their rule in the past. "They were provided with all kinds of identity cards. Now they are being weeded being ensured that only Indian citizens avail the right to vote as per the Constitution," he told PTI Videos. But Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav are trying to "build pressure" on the Election Commission by spreading "lies" about the ongoing SIR exercise in Bihar, Mr. Poonawalla alleged. "They talk about saving the Constitution, but they want to provide voting rights to foreigners and intruders whom they had brought and settled down during their (parties') is their mindset," he said, and accused the Congress and the RJD of keeping their "vote bank policy" above the Constitution.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Detention of Bengali migrants: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asks President Murmu to intervene
Flagging the detention and deportation of migrant workers from West Bengal during drives against illegal Bangladeshi nationals in several states of the country, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday urged President Droupadi Murmu to intervene. In a letter to the President, the former Congress MP wrote: 'It's very sad and cruel fact that Bengali-speaking daily wage labourers, who are bonafide Indian citizens, are being targeted due to their physical appearance and accent, which is being mistaken for that of Bangladeshis. This similarity is being used as a pretext to harass, humiliate, physically assault, and hold these innocent people in detention.' Expressing concerns that 'witch-hunting of Bangladeshis' is leading to large-scale repatriation of Bengali migrant workers, Chowdhury wrote: 'I would like to reiterate that those lakhs of migrant workers who were compelled to venture into other states for their livelihoods also contribute significantly to the revenue kitty of the state government through their remittances. Now, those migrants are supposed to be rendered unemployed…' The former state Congress chief said the President should intervene by taking appropriate measures to see that 'innocent Bengali-speaking people, who are bonafide Indian nationals working as labourers in Odisha, Maharashtra and other states are not subjected to harassment, humiliation, torture and loss of livelihood'. A copy of the letter has also been sent to West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose. In recent weeks and months, several Bengali migrant workers on suspicion of being illegal Bangladeshi nationals have been detained, and some of them pushed into Bangladesh from states like Odisha, Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh – all BJP-ruled states.
