BJP accuses Arvind Kejriwal of spending private money on 'Sheesh Mahal 2'; AAP calls allegation 'fake'

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday accused Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal of spending private money on the government bungalow recently allotted to him at Lodhi Estate in New Delhi, dubbing it “Sheesh Mahal 2”. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Public Works Department Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, addressing a press conference at BJP headquarters, showed pictures of designs of the house. In response, AAP called the pictures “fake”, pointing at similar pictures found on other sites.

The Type VII bungalow at 95, Lodhi Estate house has recently been allotted to Kejriwal by the Central government as convener of a national party. Calling it another case of Sheesh Mahal, a reference to the controversy over costly renovations to his earlier official bungalow at Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines, Verma alleged that the Central PWD does not incur such expenditure on official residences.

“This is a government-allocated house, but the money invested in this house is not government funds. Every penny invested is private money. His own bedroom is looking like a Goa 7-star hotel room. There are a total of five bedrooms,” Verma said, adding that the bungalow also has four drawing rooms and amenities superior to those of leaders of other Opposition parties including the Congress and the DMK. He demanded that Kejriwal disclose the total expenditure on the residence and its source of funding.

The AAP swiftly rejected the allegations. Party leader Atishi, in a post on X, called the photographs produced by Verma fabricated. “All the pictures issued by Pravesh Verma are fake. They are not pictures of Mr Kejriwal’s house,” she wrote, challenging Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the Lt Governor to open their own residences to public scrutiny, saying Kejriwal would do the same.

The ‘Sheesh Mahal’ charge had become a key electoral plank in the run-up to the Delhi assembly elections earlier this year, which the BJP won, with Verma defeating Kejriwal himself on the New Delhi constituency seat. Verma’s charge comes a day after seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs quit the party on Friday, deepening an internal crisis that has tested the organisation since its electoral losses.