The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bharadwaj were stopped by police from entering the official residence of Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Wednesday. The leaders had invited the media for a tour of the property to counter BJP’s allegations that the residence was turned into a luxurious “Sheesh Mahal” during Arvind Kejriwal’s tenure. However, barricades and heavy police deployment at 6, Flagstaff Road, denied them access to the bungalow. The leaders questioned the need for permission to enter a government residence and accused authorities of acting under the lieutenant governor’s orders.

Earlier, Mr. Bharadwaj had announced plans to dispel BJP’s claims of lavish amenities, including a golden commode and a mini bar, allegedly present at the CM’s residence. He emphasized that both the Chief Minister’s and Prime Minister’s residences were constructed with taxpayers’ money and called for investigations into any misappropriation of funds. AAP also challenged the BJP to open the Prime Minister’s residence for public scrutiny, dubbing it “Raj Mahal” and alleging it cost ₹2,700 crore.

The controversy over the Chief Minister’s residence has become a focal point of the BJP’s election campaign, with the party accusing AAP of misusing public funds during the Covid pandemic for extravagant renovations. AAP, in turn, has accused the BJP of hypocrisy and demanded transparency about expenditures on the Prime Minister’s residence.