Political rhetoric sharpens in Delhi as BJP questions consistency between AAP’s founding ideals and current leadership choices, turning housing into a key flashpoint.
BJP leader Parvesh Verma targets Arvind Kejriwal over his residence, while AAP leaders reject claims and call visuals fake.
BJP leader and Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma on Saturday sharpened his attack on former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of abandoning his claims of a simple lifestyle and embracing luxury, citing his new official residence in the national capital.
The remarks come amid a renewed political flashpoint over Kejriwal’s housing choices, with the BJP seeking to frame the issue as one of alleged hypocrisy ahead of a broader political contest in Delhi.
Advertisement
LIVE: Delhi State Minister Shri @p_sahibsingh addresses press conference at BJP headquarters, New Delhi. https://t.co/R7cvLc5tB7
Advertisement
— BJP (@BJP4India) April 25, 2026
Addressing a press conference, Verma questioned Kejriwal’s image as a leader of austerity, pointing to his residence at 95 Lodhi Estate. He alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which rose to power on promises of clean governance and modest living, has drifted from its founding ideals.
“Those who call themselves the Aam Aadmi Party today, they live like kings. There is nothing wrong with that. Let them live, but then don’t call yourself the Aam Aadmi Party,” Verma said.
He went on to describe the residence as “Sheesh Mahal 2”, alleging that it follows an earlier controversy around Kejriwal’s official accommodation.
आजाद भारत के इतिहास में ये (अरविंद केजरीवाल) पहला इंसान है, जिसके शौंक खत्म नहीं हो रहे।
आजाद भारत के इतिहास में सबसे ज्यादा शौकीन व्यक्ति अगर कोई पैदा हुआ है, तो उसका नाम है अरविंद केजरीवाल।
इनका नाम आम आदमी पार्टी नहीं, बल्कि आलीशान आदमी पार्टी होना चाहिए।
-श्री… pic.twitter.com/yVEFdiEIA1
— BJP LIVE (@BJPLive) April 25, 2026
Verma also raised questions about the source of funds used for developing the property. “Why does the person who promised a two-room flat repeatedly feel the need to build such a Sheesh Mahal? BJP wants to ask: In this new Sheesh Mahal, whose money has been invested? Which companies’ money has been used? Where did this money come from?” he asked.
Referring to Kejriwal’s political journey, Verma said the AAP leader had earlier invoked figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and BR Ambedkar during the anti-corruption movement while promising a life of simplicity.
“Today, in front of you once again, those who have been deceiving the people of Delhi, taking the help of the Anna movement… giving an affidavit on a one-rupee stamp paper that ‘I will not take a government house, will not take a bungalow, will not take a car’…” he said.
#WATCH | Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma says, “…The Aam Aadmi Party should be ‘Alishaan Aadmi Party’… Will Kejriwal tell us how much money has been invested in the Lodhi Road bungalow or the new Sheesh Mahal? Where did the money come from, and whose money is it?… Is it not… https://t.co/3UEDP4t3x7 pic.twitter.com/jOAsM4cvav
— ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2026
During the press briefing, Verma referred to visuals of the residence and claimed it resembled a luxury property. “Looking at this house, does it seem like an ordinary person’s house? This is Kejriwal’s bedroom. It looks like a seven-star hotel suite in Goa… 95 Lodhi Estate, their new Sheesh Mahal. Each penny invested in this house is private,” he alleged.
In a series of political jibes, Verma said, “In the history of independent India, if anyone has the most extravagant hobbies, his name is Arvind Kejriwal… His party’s name should not be ‘Aam Aadmi Party’, it should be ‘Aalishan Aadmi Party’.”
He also remarked, “Sheesh Mahal has surrounded Kejriwal so much that today he cannot see the pain of the people of the country, the people of Delhi, and the people of Punjab…”
Responding to the allegations, AAP leaders Atishi and Sanjay Singh dismissed the visuals cited by Verma as fabricated and challenged BJP leaders to make their own residences public.
“All the pictures released by Pravesh Verma are fake. They are not pictures of Kejriwal ji’s house. To find out whose house is how luxurious, Rekha Gupta ji and LG sahib should open their own houses, and Kejriwal ji will open his house. The public will decide for itself,” Atishi said in a post on X.
Sanjay Singh issued a sharper warning, stating that the claims could invite legal action. “The picture of Arvind Kejriwal ji’s house released by Parvesh Verma is completely fake. Parvesh Verma and the TV channels showing the pictures released by him should prepare to face a defamation case,” he said.
He further added, “I challenge Rekha Gupta ji, Lt Gov Delhi sir, and Parvesh Verma to open their respective houses to the public. Arvind Kejriwal ji will open his house, and the public will get to know whose house is how luxurious?”
With both sides digging in, the controversy over Kejriwal’s residence is set to escalate further, emerging as a key political flashpoint in Delhi.
Advertisement
