NEW DELHI: The BJP and Congress have launched a fierce critique of Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal, questioning the scale of the security detail that accompanied him on Tuesday as he arrived in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, for a ten-day Vipassana meditation retreat. They also scrutinized his continued access to privileges despite not holding any public office.
In response, AAP fired back, accusing the BJP of engaging in an “unjustified smear campaign” and asserting that Kejriwal’s security arrangement was in accordance with the Z-plus security cover sanctioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Hoshiarpur SSP Sandeep Kumar Malik confirmed that Kejriwal was indeed entitled to Z-plus protection, which was provided accordingly.
This marks the first time Kejriwal has ventured out of Delhi since losing the elections, and his choice to go to Punjab for the meditation retreat has reignited speculation about his aspirations for a more prominent role in the state. Recently, AAP’s unexpected announcement of Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora’s candidacy for the upcoming yet-to-be-notified bypoll for the Ludhiana West constituency in Punjab has further fueled conjectures regarding the creation of an Upper House vacancy to eventually facilitate Kejriwal’s entry into Parliament. AAP’s leadership has dismissed these speculations.
A new controversy emerged when a video showcasing Kejriwal’s 21-vehicle convoy went viral online on Wednesday as it entered the forest rest house in Chauhal, Hoshiarpur, on Tuesday night. Another video, depicting his arrival at a Vipassana center in Anandgarh village—12 km from Hoshiarpur—emerged, showing a nearly two dozen vehicle count.
“After losing the election, he is now eyeing a Rajya Sabha seat because he is accustomed to a life of luxury. Vipassana is merely a pretext; his real purpose for being in Punjab is the turmoil within AAP’s Punjab unit,” asserted Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva in comments made to PTI Videos.
Congress representatives escalated their attacks on AAP, with Punjab leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and others alleging that the resources of Punjab were being egregiously mishandled while AAP displayed no hesitation in flaunting a VVIP culture. They reminded that when AAP came to power in Punjab, Kejriwal and Mann stated that those who sought security should exit politics.
