BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also attacked the AAP leadership, alleging that the party has ignored the people of Punjab while focusing on VVIP luxuries.
The political war between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has reignited, this time over a bungalow in Chandigarh allegedly allotted to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The BJP has accused Kejriwal of enjoying “7-star luxury” at taxpayers’ expense, reviving the ‘Sheeshmahal’ controversy that had haunted AAP during the Delhi elections earlier this year.
The BJP on Friday shared a photo of what it claimed was a “7-star bungalow” spread over two acres in Chandigarh’s Sector 2, allegedly allotted to Arvind Kejriwal by the Punjab government, which is run by AAP.
“The man who pretended to be the ‘common man’ has had another grand ‘sheeshmahal’ built,” the BJP’s Delhi unit posted on X. “After the Delhi ‘sheeshmahal’ was vacated, Punjab's ‘Super Chief Minister’ Arvind Kejriwalji has had an even more splendid ‘sheeshmahal’ built in Punjab…” the post added.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also attacked the AAP leadership, alleging that the party has ignored the people of Punjab while focusing on VVIP luxuries. “They have not given the promised money to women of Punjab but provided a 100-car convoy for Kejriwal’s VVIP security and a 7-star mansion for him,” Poonawalla said.
In response, the Aam Aadmi Party rejected the BJP’s allegations and demanded evidence that the bungalow had been allotted to Kejriwal. The party accused the BJP of spreading misinformation to divert attention from Delhi’s worsening air pollution.
Interestingly, the same photo was shared earlier on X by AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, who has had a strained relationship with Kejriwal since accusing his aide Bibhav Kumar of assault last year.
Maliwal took a swipe at the Punjab government, alleging that it was “serving one man.” She wrote, “Yesterday, he (Kejriwal) boarded a government helicopter right from in front of his house for Ambala, and then from Ambala, the Punjab government's private jet took him to Gujarat for party work…”
The image shared by both Maliwal and the BJP shows a large bungalow surrounded by manicured gardens and trees in a quiet area.
Neither Arvind Kejriwal nor the AAP leadership has officially commented on the latest controversy.
Earlier this month, the Delhi government had confirmed that Kejriwal’s former official residence — the much-debated ‘Sheeshmahal’ on 6, Flag Staff Road — would be converted into a government guest house. The BJP had earlier promised to turn it into a “museum,” calling it a reminder of Kejriwal’s alleged misuse of public funds.
The term “Sheeshmahal” first made headlines when reports surfaced that Kejriwal had spent ₹45 crore of taxpayers’ money on renovations to his Delhi residence. The controversy became a central issue in the Delhi Assembly election campaign, with the BJP accusing AAP of hypocrisy and corruption.
An October 2024 Central Public Works Department (CPWD) report detailed “luxurious renovations” and “installation of high-end appliances” at the residence. The central government later ordered an inquiry into the alleged misuse of funds and violation of building norms.
The scandal is widely seen as one of the reasons for AAP’s poor performance in the February election, where the party lost control of Delhi after nearly a decade in power.
Now, as the ‘Sheeshmahal’ debate re-emerges in Punjab, it could once again put Kejriwal and his party on the defensive.
