Kejriwal’s Sheesh Mahal sequel to haunt AAP in Punjab!
AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s “Sheesh Mahal” controversy is back again to haunt the former Delhi Chief Minister. This time it involves a new Type-VII bungalow in Delhi’s Lodhi Garden, and a tag that has long been associated with him: “Sheesh Mahal” (Glass Palace).
While the first Sheesh Mahal is considered to be one of the major reasons the AAP lost Delhi reins last year, and now the second Sheesh Mahal is likely to be projected as Kejriwal’s lavish style, contrary to his claims of being simple, ahead of the Punjab assembly elections next year, where the BJP is attempting to make inroads.
In a sharp attack on Kejriwal after he shifted to his new bungalow — 95, Lodhi Estate — on Friday, the BJP on Saturday described him as the “Rahman Dakait of Delhi” and released fresh images of what it called “Sheesh Mahal 2”, linking it to earlier allegations regarding Kejriwal’s former residence at 6 Flagstaff Road.
Delhi Public Works Department Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, in a press conference, accused Kejriwal of living lavishly despite earlier claims of simplicity and released an apparent layout and images of the new accommodation, alleging that “private money” was used for the superior-quality amenities in the house. He said, “...Delhi’s Rahman Dakait, just as a sequel to the movie Dhurandhar came out, similarly, we are going to reveal ‘Sheesh Mahal 2’ today.
He displayed some photos and claimed these were from the Type-VII bungalow given to Kejriwal in his capacity as the party’s chief. Verma said that the CPWD does not spend such money on bungalows, and claimed that “private money” was spent to create some amenities.
Verma claimed that Kejriwal’s new residence at 95 Lodhi Estate has five bedrooms and four drawing rooms.
He said it has amenities superior to any other bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi, including those of the leaders of other parties, such as the Congress and the DMK.
Hitting back, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the BJP of using “fake” pictures from the internet and projecting them as the residence of Kejriwal. “The visuals used to claim a so-called ‘Sheesh Mahal 2.0’ linked to the Central Govt allotted official residence of Arvind Kejriwal appear to be nothing more than stock images lifted from Pinterest.
A simple Google search is enough to verify that these images are not connected to any official residence and have been picked from publicly available sources,” the AAP said. The bungalow allotted to Kejriwal is next to the residence of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
The documents outlined a ‘contemporary transitional’ design concept and detailed spaces including a foyer, living room, bedrooms, lounge, and meeting room, along with customised furniture and décor elements.
“Verma alleged that the original “Sheesh Mahal” in Delhi was built while the city was battling the COVID wave. He said, “...Kejriwal built the Sheesh Mahal in Delhi when Delhi was suffering from the COVID wave... The people of Delhi were demanding COVID medicine and were dying. During that time, work on Delhi’s Sheesh Mahal didn’t stop for a single day, as per Kejriwal’s orders...
“The BJP leader further claimed that after electoral setbacks in Delhi, Kejriwal shifted his political focus to Punjab, creating pressure for Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, he said, “...When our ‘Dhurandhar’ Delhi voters defeated Delhi’s Rahman Dakait, he moved to Punjab, increasing Bhagwant Mann’s problems. Of the four large Government houses surrounding Bhagwant Mann’s house, one was occupied by Kejriwal, another by former Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain, a third by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and another by Manish Sisodia...” Verma also targeted Kejriwal over his recent residence at 95 Lodhi Estate and accused him of abandoning his earlier image of modest living.
He recalled Kejriwal’s promise of leading a life of a common man without using government facilities, and said, “Now, when he got a new bungalow at 95 Lodhi Estate. When the pictures of it came out, we were astonished. The man who said he would live simply today lives in a luxurious manner. This is a government-allocated house, but the money invested in this house is not government funds. Last time he said that the PWD invested the money, but in this house, every penny invested is private money but in this house, every penny invested is private money. His own bedroom is looking like Goa’s 7-star hotel room. There are a total of five bedrooms.”
The Type VII bungalow, the second largest category of government residential accommodation, spreading over approximately 5,000 square feet (sqft), comprises four bedrooms, a hall, a dining room, a waiting room, an office space and two lawns besides a garage, and three servant quarters.
