Did Arvind Kejriwal build ‘Sheesh Mahal 2.0’ in Chandigarh after poll drubbing in Delhi? Read what Swati Maliwal said

An aerial view of Arvind Kejriwal Sheesh Mahal 2.0 image shared by Swati Maliwal on X (Image via X)

Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal has yet again made serious accusations against Arvind Kejriwal, particularly about building ‘Sheesh Mahal 2.0’ in Chandigarh. She has blamed the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab for large-scale misuse of government property.

Maliwal said that several top AAP leaders have been allocated government accommodation in Chandigarh, including party chief Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Satyendra Jain, among others. The new revelation came just a day after she and the BJP, for the first time, took up the issue of a fancy bungalow being provided to the former Delhi CM Kejriwal.

According to Maliwal, the Punjab government has given prime properties to people who don’t even have an official job or role in the state. She gave specific examples, saying that former Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain have been given lavish bungalows in Chandigarh’s Sector 39.

She even mentioned the specific house numbers: Bungalow no. 960 for Manish Sisodia and no. 926 for Satyendra Jain. Maliwal described this as a “clear case of misuse of power and illegal encroachment.”

The biggest part of her claim centres on Arvind Kejriwal. Maliwal stated, “Arvind Kejriwal had to vacate his Sheesh Mahal in Delhi on public orders. So now he has had the Punjab government build him a Sheesh Mahal 2.0 in Chandigarh.” She described this property, located in Sector 2, as a “huge, luxurious palace” built on two acres of land, all under the Punjab Chief Minister’s quota.

She didn’t stop there. Maliwal added that the place is “no less than a seven-star hotel” and that Kejriwal had the Punjab government extensively renovate it just last month. She says he is now living there. She strongly questioned the basis for this, asking, “I don’t understand in what capacity he was given this palace. He isn’t even an MLA in Delhi.”

This issue has also drawn in the BJP, which revived the “Sheesh Mahal” issue, calling the Chandigarh property a “7-star luxurious” bungalow and sharing a photo of it.

The Aam Aadmi Party, however, has pushed back. The party challenged the BJP to produce any allotment letter that supports this claim. In a post on X, AAP said that the “baffled BJP is making all sorts of fake claims” by sharing a photo of what is actually the Punjab CM’s camp office.

But Swati Maliwal immediately countered this “camp office” explanation. She said, “When I raised this issue, an attempt was made to spread lies by claiming that this is the Punjab Chief Minister’s camp office.” She then asked two questions: “But if it is indeed a camp office, why isn’t it open to the public? Why is it locked from the inside?” She also asked how many meetings the Punjab CM has held there in the last four years, calling the explanation a “blatant lie.”

She further reiterated her statement, “The truth is that this luxurious palace, Sheesh Mahal 2.0, now belongs to Punjab’s super CM Arvind Kejriwal”.

The First ‘Sheesh Mahal’ in Delhi

This new controversy brings back memories of the first “Sheesh Mahal” scandal, which was about Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence at 6, Flagstaff Road in Delhi. He lived in that sprawling bungalow for nine years as Chief Minister. The whole issue blew up in May 2023, when details came out about the massive amount of taxpayer money spent on its renovation.

A report, called “Operation Sheesh Mahal” by Times Now Navbharat, revealed that almost ₹45 crore (₹44.78 crore) was used for the renovation. This sparked a huge public debate, with many questioning how this spending fit with the Aam Aadmi Party’s promise of simplicity.

Recently, even more details came to light after the Delhi Chief Minister’s Office asked the Public Works Department (PWD) to allot the bungalow to the new Chief Minister, Atishi Marlena. Because of this, the PWD prepared a detailed list of all the items inside the house. This inventory list seemed to confirm the extreme luxury. BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya highlighted some of the items found, including 16 different TV sets, window curtains that reportedly cost ₹4 crore, and even full-body massage chairs.

Mr Malviya also pointed out a surprise from the PWD inventory list. He claimed that some very expensive, fully automatic TOTO smart toilet seats were “missing.” He described these as top-of-the-line models with features like sensors for an automatic open-and-close seat, a heated seat, a wireless remote, a deodoriser, and automatic flushing.

According to him, just one of these toilet seats costs between ₹10 lakh and ₹12 lakh. The entire residence, spread over 13,000 square feet, was described as having state-of-the-art interior design, high-grade furniture, and even automatic motion-sensing doors in all the rooms.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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