Punjab govt allotted opulent residences to Delhi-based AAP leaders, claims Swati Maliwal

New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal has renewed her attack on former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), alleging the creation of a “Sheeshmahal 2.0” in Punjab through the lavish occupation of government properties.

In a series of posts on her official X account on Saturday, Maliwal claimed that a sprawling seven-star bungalow in Chandigarh’s Sector 2, spanning two acres and reserved for the Punjab Chief Minister, has been allotted to Kejriwal.

She further alleged that two additional luxury bungalows in Sector 39 -- No 960 for former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and No 926 for ex-minister -- Satyendar Jain have also been secured for AAP leaders relocated from Delhi.

“Occupying government property is a crime,” Maliwal declared, accusing the Punjab government of extending similar opulent accommodations to numerous Delhi-based AAP functionaries now residing in Chandigarh.

She went on to claim that Kejriwal travelled from the bungalow campus to Ambala in a government helicopter before boarding a Punjab government private jet to Gujarat for party work.

"The entire Punjab government now serves one man," she remarked sarcastically.

This is not Swati Maliwal's first broadside.

On Friday, she alleged that after vacating the controversial "Sheesh Mahal" in Delhi -- the former official residence renovated at a cost of crores of rupees, sparking widespread criticism of extravagance and corruption -- Arvind Kejriwal had constructed an even grander version in Punjab.

The original Sheesh Mahal row erupted when details emerged of lavish renovations to Kejriwal's Delhi residence, drawing sharp condemnation from the Opposition.

The Opposition branded the AAP government a symbol of hypocrisy and ostentatious politics.

Maliwal, a former Delhi Commission for Women chairperson and once a close AAP ally, has increasingly positioned herself as a vocal critic of the party leadership since her acrimonious exit.

--IANS

sktr/pgh