The Delhi Assembly's Privileges Committee has issued stern summons to former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and ex-Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, along with ex-Speaker Ram Niwas Goel and former Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla, requiring their personal appearance on November 13 over the explosive 'Phansi Ghar' controversy. Notices have been dispatched, escalating a probe into claims that the AAP government misrepresented a colonial-era structure as an execution chamber, allegedly distorting history and squandering public funds on its 2022 renovation and inauguration.
The row ignited in August when Speaker Vijender Gupta revealed official records labeling the site a mere 'tiffin room' for staff meals, not a gallows for British hangings—a revelation that prompted BJP accusations of AAP's 'fake history' stunt. Gupta referred the matter to the nine-member committee, chaired by BJP MLA Pradyumn Singh Rajput and including AAP's Surendra Kumar and Ram Singh Netaji, for a full inquiry into potential privilege breaches and misuse of crores in taxpayer money for the memorial's fanfare event.
AAP hit back hard, branding the summons a 'vendetta-driven distraction' by the BJP-led regime to dodge accountability for nine months of governance flops—from crumbling roads and water shortages to choking air pollution levels. Kejriwal dismissed the notice as 'vague and legally unmaintainable,' arguing the committee lacks jurisdiction over actions from the dissolved Seventh Assembly in February 2025, while vowing to challenge it as political harassment amid AAP's Delhi revival push.
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The 2022 inauguration, attended by Kejriwal as chief guest and Sisodia and Birla as honors, was touted as a tribute to freedom fighters, complete with plaques and a plaque bearing their names—now slated for removal alongside displaying a 1912 map confirming the 'tiffin' origins. Historical probes by the National Archives, Indian Council of Historical Research, and IGNCA backed Gupta's claims, fueling BJP's narrative of AAP's 'insult to heritage' and electoral gimmickry.
As November 13 looms, the showdown pits AAP's legacy defense against BJP's fiscal and factual scrutiny, with potential penalties ranging from reprimands to contempt rulings that could haunt Kejriwal's 2025 comeback bid. In a city already simmering with civic woes, this colonial ghost hunt risks deepening Delhi's partisan divide, turning a dusty room into a battleground for political ghosts.
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