Chandigarh, November 1: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday countered the BJP’s accusation that the state government had converted an official residence into a lavish “Sheesh Mahal” for AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, saying the claim was baseless and politically motivated.
In a sharp rebuttal, Mann said the house in question was not newly built or renovated for Kejriwal. “It’s the same official accommodation where even a Pakistani journalist, a guest of Capt Amarinder Singh when he was CM, once stayed. The BJP never raised objections then,” he remarked in a video statement.
Mann accused the BJP of “manufacturing issues” out of frustration. “They are rattled by the overwhelming response AAP is receiving in Punjab. Since they have no real issues, they invent stories like this,” he said.
The CM stressed that the residence was no different from other official quarters provided to ministers in Punjab and Haryana. “No extravagant spending has been made. It’s just another government house,” he added.
Turning the tables, Mann offered to share the addresses of what he termed the “actual Sheesh Mahals” — the properties of BJP leader Capt Amarinder Singh and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal’s Sukhvilas resort.
