Saurabh Bharadwaj AAP Monday alleged that BJP’s Leader of the House in the South MCD, Inderjeet Sehrawat, owns an “illegally constructed” hotel, which is listed as a demolished property in the records of the Delhi Police. Sehrawat denied the charges.
AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed during a press conference that Sehrawat’s assets have risen manifold with no apparent source of income. Sehrawat responded saying he’s been running a transport business over the last 25 years.
“The MCD has said in RTI replies that no fire licence or health trade licence been issued to the hotel. However, the hotel, named ‘The Orient’, is up and running. Sehrawat’s brother runs another hotel in an adjacent plot. All this has taken place even after police and the MCD Commissioner were informed about the illegal construction. Furthermore, this property is worth around Rs 20 crore. When Inderjeet Sehrawat submitted his affidavit while running for elections, neither this hotel nor was this property mentioned. So, we would like to ask, from where did this amount of Rs 20 crore come from?” Bharadwaj claimed.
The AAP’s Greater Kailash MLA added that in another RTI response, the Delhi Police has also claimed that the hotel at Mahipalpur has already been demolished. The response, dated December 4, 2020, from the additional deputy commissioner of police (south-west) states the MCD had forwarded a notice to police to stop the unauthorised construction at the site.
The Delhi Police responded: “No unauthorised construction activity is being taken now. However, the action has already been taken by the SDMC Najafgarh and the said property has already been demolished with the help of local police.”
When contacted, DCP (south west) refused to comment on the matter.
Sehrawat said, “This (hotel) is our joint property in the name of three brothers. It was purchased in 2008 and commercial tax is being paid regularly. Whenever SDMC asks for its due share (from the government), these people make such false allegations to divert people’s attention,” he said.
Asked about allegations of a rise in his income, he said, “I have a transport business for 25 years and I file my income tax returns regularly. Then there are joint properties in the name of three brothers.”
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor dismissed AAP’s allegations as “baseless”.
“As far as the matter of unauthorised construction is concerned, I don’t believe in raising anyone’s personal issues publicly, but if Saurabh Bharadwaj gives me a personal hearing I can cite before him dozens of properties unauthorisedly constructed by a Delhi government minister’s family members,” he claimed.
The MCD elections are slated to be held in 2022.
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