Delhi BJP stages massive protest outside Arvind Kejriwal’s residence over ‘Sheesh Mahal’ row

Members and workers of the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by its president Virendra Sachdeva, staged a major protest on Thursday outside former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence. The BJP demanded answers regarding the alleged extravagant spending on the now-controversial ‘Sheesh Mahal’ bungalow.

The controversy has intensified with the release of an inventory list revealing lavish furnishings, including gold-plated fixtures, high-end furniture, and costly decorations—additions reportedly far exceeding what the Public Works Department (PWD) supplied.

The documents of the PWD show it did not provide the costly items worth crores of rupees at the 6, Flagstaff Road residence, Virendra Sachdeva claimed at a press conference on Wednesday.

“How did you get all these extravagant items in ‘sheeshmahal’? Was it from the Punjab government, was it from the liquor scam or the Delhi Jal Board…,” Virendra Sachdeva said.

The Aam Aadmi Party hit back, saying the BJP may continue to adopt such tactics to “malign staunchly honest” Arvind Kejriwal, but the people of Delhi have seen through their “false accusations which is why the ‘Kejriwal model’ continues to expand at record speed”.

“Unlike the leaders who cling to their bungalows and privileges for years, Kejriwal set an example by vacating the official residence after resigning as Delhi chief minister following all the requisite constitutional norms,” the AAP said in a statement.

BJP raises questions over lavish spending

The BJP has been relentless in questioning the transformation of Kejriwal’s official residence into what they described as a palace-like abode. According to PWD records, only basic furnishings were supplied when Arvind Kejriwal moved into the bungalow in 2022. However, when he vacated the residence in 2024, the inventory revealed items such as chandeliers worth lakhs and carpets valued at over ₹50 lakh.

“After renovation of the 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow in 2022, the PWD provided only a few basic items for daily use. However, when Kejriwal eventually vacated the residence after submitting his resignation, the PWD officials were stunned to see the extravagantly expensive furnishings there,” Sachdeva claimed.

In 2022, the Public Works Department prepared a one-page item allocation list for the bungalow. However, the newly prepared inventory of items, after Kejriwal vacated the bungalow, spans eight pages, he claimed.

Citing a purported letter by a PWD official, Sachdeva said no additional items were provided at the bungalow after April 2022 by the department.

“When we ask Arvind Kejriwal questions about the ‘sheeshmahal’, neither does he speak nor does his chief minister Atishi… we have these documents and I hope they will respond,” Sachdeva said.

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta in a letter to the Lt Governor has demanded a high-level investigation into the “luxurious items” installed in the bungalow.

An inventory prepared by the PWD after Kejriwal vacated the bungalow in 2024 revealed that the items present at the residence far exceeded those originally provided by the PWD in 2022, he claimed.

“Additional items included luxurious and expensive toilet seats, premium wash basins, reclining sofas, costly curtains, exquisite carpets, high-value television sets, and refrigerators. These were not supplied by the PWD,” he said.

Gupta questioned the source of the alleged “extravagant additions”.

The Aam Aadmi Party said the BJP has unleashed countless investigations against the AAP government targeting party leaders, ministers, and MLAs, even imprisoning many of them under “false charges”, but “not a single rupee of wrongdoing has been found.