'Sheesh Mahal' built for Kejriwal in Punjab, more lavish than Delhi: Swati Maliwal's claim stirs fresh row

New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Friday launched a fresh attack on former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that a “Sheesh Mahal” on the lines of Delhi rather a more magnificent one has been built in Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-ruled Punjab. She also claimed that the state machinery was being put in service for Kejriwal's comfort and plane journeys.

Taking to social media platform ‘X’, Maliwal wrote, “After Delhi's Sheesh Mahal was vacated, Arvind Kejriwal has built a Sheesh Mahal in Punjab, even more magnificent than Delhi's."

She claimed that Kejriwal has been allotted a luxurious “seven-star” government bungalow, suggesting its 'illegal and illegitimate' allocation to a person who doesn't hold any public office and therefore not entitled to have one.

"Arvind Kejriwal has been given a luxurious 7-star government bungalow of 2 acres in Sector 2, Chandigarh, from the Chief Minister's quota," she added.

Maliwal further claimed that Bhagwant Mann government has 'diverted' the state machinery to serve the party supremo and cited allocation of private jet for Kejriwal's travel to Gujarat as a case in point.

"Yesterday, he boarded a government helicopter from in front of his house for Ambala. Then, from Ambala, a private jet of the Punjab government took him to Gujarat for party work. The entire Punjab government is busy serving one man," AAP Rajya Sabha said.

Notably, this is not the first time Kejriwal has come under criticism for alleged extravagance. The BJP has repeatedly targeted him and the AAP over what they used to call “Sheesh Mahal-style governance.”

The term “Sheesh Mahal,” widely used by the BJP, refers to the then Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's official residence, which underwent an expensive renovation during his tenure.

Maliwal has frequently invoked the “Sheesh Mahal” phrase to criticise Kejriwal and the AAP. She has accused the party of prioritizing luxury over governance and ignoring deteriorating civic conditions in Delhi.

In January 2025, Maliwal staged a high-profile protest, collecting garbage from neglected Delhi neighbourhoods and dumping it outside Kejriwal’s residence to highlight the capital’s worsening sanitation crisis.

The “Sheesh Mahal” controversy had resurfaced in May 2024, following Maliwal’s allegation that she was assaulted by Kejriwal’s personal assistant, Bibhav Kumar, at then Chief Minister’s residence.

--IANS

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