“Was Captain Amarinder’s Girlfriend Also Living in a ‘Sheesh Mahal’?” — Bhagwant Mann Fires Back at BJP Over Chandigarh Bungalow Row

Chandigarh: In a fiery rebuttal to the BJP’s “Sheesh Mahal 2.0” allegations, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday launched a sharp counterattack, defending his party chief Arvind Kejriwal and accusing the BJP of running a “false, politically driven narrative.”

Addressing the controversy surrounding Bungalow No. 50 in Sector 2, Chandigarh, which the BJP claimed had been turned into a luxurious retreat for Kejriwal, Mann clarified that the residence was officially allotted to him as Punjab’s Chief Minister after the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in March 2022.

“For the past few days, the BJP has been spreading propaganda that the Punjab government has built a ‘Sheesh Mahal’ in Chandigarh where Arvind Kejriwal stays. Let me make it clear — this is my officially allotted residence, Bungalow No. 45, and the adjoining Bungalow No. 50 is my Camp Office and Guest House used for official meetings,” Mann said in a video message on X (formerly Twitter).

Turning the heat on the BJP, Mann invoked a sharp personal jibe at former Chief Minister and BJP leader Captain Amarinder Singh, saying, “Your leader now in BJP, his girlfriend Aroosa Alam was living here — a foreign guest from a country (Pakistan) which has caused India threats. She was a defence journalist — does that mean she too lived in a Sheesh Mahal?”

Mann dismissed the BJP’s allegations as “laughable and desperate,” asserting that his government follows all norms in property allotments. “This house is not a luxury palace; it’s a functional residence and office for the Chief Minister of Punjab,” he added.

Taking aim at BJP MP Ravneet Bittu, Mann questioned his moral ground, stating, “They accuse my guest house of being a Sheesh Mahal, but Ravneet Bittu hasn’t even vacated his government bungalow. What should we call that — a palace too?”