New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday that the cancellation of Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) office allotment was part of a larger design to “finish" the party. He said the party is being “victimised" and “discriminated against" for taking on the ruling mafia and siding with the poor, and asserted the AAP is ready to operate from the “streets".

The office allotment to the AAP by the Kejriwal government was cancelled by the Delhi lieutenant governor on Friday after the Shunglu Committee pointed out “irregularities" in the allotment. Kejriwal wondered why the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), despite having negligible presence in the Delhi politics, have five and seven office spaces respectively, along with one plot each.

“This must be the first time in independent India that a ruling party is being denied office space in the state where it is in power. Even RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal), BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party), ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad), RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) have offices in Delhi," he told a press conference at his residence.

Kejriwal linked the cancellation to the AAP’s promise of abolishing house tax if voted to power in the municipal corporations, which go to polls on 23 April. “They want to finish us, they want to close AAP. But it won’t happen as we are on the path of truth. People will teach them a lesson in the polls.

“Having an office is our right. We are not seeking a favour. It was allotted legally. We will place a fresh demand for an office. People are already offering us space," he said.

Meanwhile, party functionaries discharged duties as usual from 206 Rouse Avenue, the office space in question. Sources said the party may move the court against the cancellation.

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