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PM Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha: We did not use the money to make ‘Sheesh Mahal’ but to build the country, the prime minister said while attacking Arvind Kejriwal.
PM Narendra Modi replies to Motion of Thanks on President’s Address, in Lok Sabha.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took a dig at former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal over ‘Sheesh Mahal’ row. “Some leaders are focused on jacuzzies and stylish showers in their homes, but we are focused on bringing water to every house,” he added.
PM Modi’s reply in Lok Sabha came during a discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address.
Lauding the honesty of his government, the PM said, “Earlier, the media headline used to be about scams. Now the story is that despite no scams, we have still been able to save lakhs of crores of public money.
“We have not used that money to make ‘Sheesh Mahal’. We did not use this saved money to make ‘Sheesh Mahal’ but for the country. We have used the money to build the country, and not to construct our bungalows,” Modi said.
Earlier, the prime minister had said that people who live in “sheesh mahals” will never understand the plight of someone who doesn’t own a house. Kejriwal has come under severe criticism for reportedly spending Rs 45 crore on the renovation of the chief minister’s official residence, which has been dubbed by his political rivals as “sheesh mahal”.
Modi had said he himself does not own a house, so he understands the pain of the poor. “I do not have a house of my own, but my dream is to provide a concrete house to every poor person,” the PM had said.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), in its findings, had stated that Kejriwal renovated 6 Flagstaff Road, his official residence when he was chief minister, at an exorbitant cost of Rs 33.66 crore.
The audit found that the former CM spent Rs 96 lakh on curtains, Rs 39 lakh on kitchen equipment, Rs 20.34 lakh on a TV console, Rs 18.52 lakh on gym equipment, Rs 16.27 lakh on silk carpets, Rs 4.8 lakh on a minibar. Rs 66.89 lakh on marble stone for walls, and Rs 14 lakh for floor tiles.