The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government in Punjab’s decision to accord Punjab Police’s Z-plus security to its Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sparked a controversy with the Opposition parties terming it a ‘fraud’ with the people of Punjab.

Sharing a list of protected people of the state submitted by the state government in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, state Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring questioned the Z-plus security given to Kejriwal despite the fact that he already has the same category security cover provided by the Centre government.

“Why does Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who is already Z-plus protected from the Central government, needs Z+ security from Punjab also? This has been done fraudulently which is evident from the fact that he has been shown as an AAP Punjab convener, while he is actually a national convener. Shame on such pettiness,” Warring said in a tweet.

Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Sukhpal Khaira echoed the same views when he pointed out that the AAP government has passed off the Delhi CM as the party’s Punjab convener in order to provide Z-plus security of the Punjab Police.

Making public the list of categorised protected people of the state in connection with a written petition filed by former deputy CM OP Soni, Khaira said the political position of Kejriwal was twisted to extend to him the Punjab Police security cover financed through state funds. He alleged that the police commandos were stationed at Kapurthala House, the official Delhi residence of the Punjab CM.

Khaira alleged that Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha had also been provided Z-plus security whereas other MPs had normal security. “Bhagwant Mann must explain this fraud,” he tweeted.

Claiming that Kejriwal availed of the Punjab government security by showing himself as AAP’s Punjab convener, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa took a dig at the AAP leader tweeting, “Aam Aadmi Party people used to talk about ending the VIP culture, but Kejriwal himself has taken protection from both the Delhi Police and the Punjab government.”