Delhi minister and BJP leader Parvesh Verma on Saturday launched a sharp attack on AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, calling him the “Rehman dacoit of Delhi” and alleging that he had built a second “Sheesh Mahal”. Verma went ahead to display visuals of what he claimed were from Kejriwal’s new residence. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh called the visuals “completely fake” and said Verma and television channels airing them should be prepared to face defamation cases.
Addressing a press conference, Verma said the BJP would “show ‘Sheesh Mahal 2’” and accused Kejriwal of living a luxurious life in contrast to his earlier claims of simplicity. “Delhi ka Sheesh Mahal 2 hum apko dikhane ja rahe hain (We will show you Delhi’s ‘Sheesh Mahal 2’),” Verma said.
He added that after being defeated by voters in Delhi, Kejriwal shifted his focus to Punjab. “Delhi ke voters ne is ‘Rehman dacoit’ ko hara diya, toh woh Punjab chale gaye. Bhagwant Mann pareshaan hai (After being defeated by Delhi voters, he moved to Punjab, and CM Bhagwant Mann is troubled),” he said.
Verma alleged that several government accommodations around Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence were occupied by AAP leaders, including Kejriwal, former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.
95 LODHI ESTATE CLAIM, VISUALS SHOWN
Turning to Delhi, Verma referred to Kejriwal’s recent move into a government bungalow at 95 Lodhi Estate. “Kal woh 95 Lodhi Estate mein shift hue hain, jo bolte the aam aadmi ki tarah rahunga (He shifted to 95 Lodhi Estate yesterday, the same person who said he would live like a common man),” Verma said.
“When I visited the earlier ‘Sheesh Mahal’, I wondered how someone could sleep in such a luxurious house kaise neend aati hogi (how do they even sleep there?),” he added, while showing visuals he claimed were from Kejriwal’s new residence.
Verma also alleged that Kejriwal had earlier said he would not take a government house but later accepted a bungalow and upgraded it into what the BJP describes as a “Sheesh Mahal”.
AAP CALLS PICS FAKE, THREATENS LEGAL ACTION
Reactingg to the visuals, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh rejected the claims, calling them “completely fake”. In a post on X, Singh said Verma and television channels airing the images should be prepared to face defamation cases.
He also challenged Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and Parvesh Verma to open their residences to the public, adding that Kejriwal would do the same. “The public will then see whose house is truly luxurious,” Singh said.
Delhi minister Atishi also rejected the claims, saying the images shared by Verma were not of Kejriwal’s residence. “All the pictures released by Parvesh Verma are fake. They are not images of Kejriwal’s house,” she said.
AAP MP EXODUS LED BY RAGHAV CHADHA
Parvesh Verma's allegations against Arvind Kejriwal came a day after a major political setback for AAP, with seven of its Rajya Sabha MPs — Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Vikram Sahney and Rajendra Gupta — quitting the party and announcing their merger with the BJP.
The development, disclosed at a hurried press conference at Constitution Club in central Delhi, surprised many observers. Chadha said the decision was driven by the party’s alleged departure from its founding principles and values.
The BJP welcomed the leaders, with party president Nitin Nabin receiving them at the headquarters and offering traditional sweets. In a post on X, he said the leaders would work towards the goal of “Viksit Bharat 2047” under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Reacting to the exits, Kejriwal accused the BJP of betraying the people of Punjab, while Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann termed the MPs “traitors”. AAP leaders also alleged that the BJP had carried out “Operation Lotus” to engineer the defections and destabilise the Punjab government.
BJP STEPS UP ATTACK WITH SOCIAL MEDIA POST
Amid the political churn, the Delhi BJP also targeted Kejriwal through a social media post on X. The party shared a stylised poster portraying Kejriwal as an authoritarian figure, with visuals of AAP workers appearing to walk away carrying broken broom symbols and discarded party caps, suggesting internal disillusionment.
The graphic carried the lines “A Film By – AAP-da” and “Directed by Arvind Kejriwal”, framing the developments as a political narrative centred around the AAP chief.
