NEW DELHI: In February this year, the Aam Aadmi Party government had requested the Delhi assembly to provide rooms and furniture for parliamentary secretaries in the assembly complex, documents accessed by ET suggest.The AAP government repeatedly asserted that it hadn’t sought to provide any facilities or perks to the 21 parliamentary secretaries — MLAs who the Delhi government said would assist ministers. But copies of correspondence among three senior Delhi officials contradict that position.In February, Krishan Lal, a deputy secretary in the general administration department, wrote to the lieutenant governor’s secretary that the department had not provided perks and privileges to the parliamentary secretaries.However, some “seating arrangement” could be made for them in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha Complex and “some of the facilities (other than facilities being provided to MLAs) might be provided by Delhi Vidhan Sabha Sectt (secretariat)”, he wrote in the letter, which was also copied to the secretary at the Delhi Vidhan Sabha Secretariat.In response, Manjeet Singh, deputy secretary in the Delhi assembly secretariat, wrote to the LG’s secretary on February 23, saying: “In this context, I am directed to inform you that on the request of the Government of NCT of Delhi, some rooms along with some furniture items have been earmarked for the parliamentary secretaries to ministers in the assembly complex.”This correspondence is part of a recent representation to the ElectionCommission by advocate Prashant Patel, who had petitioned the President seeking disqualification of the 21MLAs for allegedly holding an office of profit.Patel claimed: “The aforesaid frank and candid admission by the assembly secretariat nails the lie of Delhi Govt.’s repeated ad nauseam that no facility of any kind is being provided to the Parliamentary Secretaries.” The AAP MLAs had denied receiving any benefits, facilities or perks from government.Speaking with ET, Parliamentary Secretary (Power) Jarnail Singh had previously said: “I never used any room or office. It was never handed over to me. Also, property of Delhi assembly is in the jurisdiction of the speaker.”When ET sought his comment on Wednesday, Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said he will give a legal reply if the EC asks for it. “They have not started using the rooms yet. In Vidhan Sabha, rooms can be given to the MLAs. I am not doing any construction or expenditure.If rooms are presently closed, if they won’t be used by MLAs then who will? I have given rooms to many MLAs,” he said. The poll body, which is to give its legal opinion in the matter to the President who, in turn, will take a final call on the matter, will begin hearings of the MLAs on Thursday.