They offered Kejriwal accommodation, AAP pays back with tickets

New Delhi, March 26

Two persons had offered Arvind Kejriwal accommodation while he struggled to make a foray into the political arena, and the AAP has paid back by giving them tickets for the MCD elections and an Assembly by-poll.

Naren Jain (62) had offered Kejriwal his house when he had resigned after his first stint as Delhi CM and was looking for a place where he could stay and host party volunteers.

Though Kejriwal could not move into Jain’s home due to some legal issues, the AAP has given him MCD poll ticket from Chandni Chowk ward, North Delhi Municipal Corporation.

Harjeet Singh (57) had given his 41, Hanuman Road, bungalow to the AAP during its initial days. This central Delhi address was used by Kejriwal to file his nomination paper as a Delhi resident during 2013 Assembly polls.

The Delhi CM was then residing in government quarters allotted to his wife, formerly with the Income Tax Department, at Kaushmabi in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Now the party has given Singh ticket for Rajouri Garden Assembly by-election, where polling will take place on April 9.

The seat fell vacant after Jarnail Singh resigned as AAP MLA to contest in the recent Punjab Assembly polls.

An ardent Kejriwal supporter, Singh is believed to have charged nothing from the party for using the bungalow.

The party office was later shifted to East Patel Nagar.

After his resignation as Delhi CM during his first tenure, Kejriwal had stayed put in his official residence at Tilak Lane.

As he planned to vacate the residence, he scouted for an accommodation which could serve not only as a home but also a place where party leaders and volunteers could be hosted.

He zeroed down on 4B Flagstaff Road, a quiet lane on Alipur Road in Civil Lines area, belonging to Jain, son of former Congress MP from Chandni Chowk Bhiku Ram Jain.

The plan, however, ran into trouble after Jain’s elder brother claimed it to be a disputed property and threatened to approach the court. Kejriwal then decided against moving into the accommodation.

Now Kejriwal’s official residence and the 4B Flagstaff Road bungalow are separated just by a bungalow.

“I had offered my home to Kejriwal but the Congress played mischief. My intentions behind giving my house to Kejriwal were very noble that could not materialise,” Jain said. — PTI