NEW DELHI: AAP national convenor and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday appeared before the Delhi Assembly’s Privileges Committee in connection with the controversy over the alleged ‘phansi ghar’ in the Assembly complex and accused the BJP government of insulting freedom fighters by claiming that the site was merely a ‘tiffin room’.
Kejriwal appeared before the Assembly’s Committee of Privileges along with former Speaker Ram Niwas Goel and former Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla and placed their versions on record regarding the authenticity of the ‘phansi ghar’ that was inaugurated within the Assembly premises on August 9, 2022. Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, however, failed to appear.
After the hearing, Kejriwal said the Assembly complex is a historic building constructed in 1912 when the British shifted the capital to Delhi. He claimed that in 2022, during the tenure of then Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, it was discovered that a section of the building was used by the British to hang freedom fighters. “Goel had suggested that it should be opened for tourists.
After that, it was inaugurated,” Kejriwal said. He alleged that since BJP came to power, it has been trying to prove that the structure was a tiffin room. “There can’t be a bigger insult to freedom fighters than calling a place where they were hanged a tiffin room,” he said.
Kejriwal said the committee had asked him to present evidence proving that the structure was a ‘phansi ghar’. “I said that the then-speaker had taken the step only after conducting a full inquiry asking them if they have any proof that it was a tiffin room. They have none,” he said. He also criticised the BJP government, claiming Delhi’s condition had deteriorated over the past year.
Committee chairperson Pradyuman Singh Rajput said, “It is deeply concerning that those who held high constitutional offices could not present a single factual document before the panel to support their claims”.
He added that making unsubstantiated claims about a ‘phansi ghar’ without historical proof not only misled the public but also insulted the memory of martyrs. The committee will now deliberate on the next course of action based on the statements.