Amritsar (Punjab) [India], September 27 (ANI): A war of words has erupted between Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, with Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira calling into question why “non-Punjabi” AAP leaders are being allowed to stay in the official residences of state ministers while not holding any cabinet portfolio in the Punjab government.
Khaira has alleged that AAP leaders such as Jarnail Singh, Manish Sisodia, Gayatri Bishnoi and others are living in houses originally allotted to Punjab ministers.
“Who has given non-Punjabis like Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Deepak Chauhan, and Gayatri Bishnoi the right to stay in the official residences of Punjab ministers?” Khaira said in a video on X.
Sharing a purported video by AAP’s Rajasthan President of the state women’s wing, Gayatri Bishnoi, Khaira said in another X post that the AAP leader has ‘admitted’ to staying in House number 961, which is the official residence of AAP health minister Balbir Singh. He further said that Manish Sisodia is living in House number 960.
“One more question @GayatriBishnoi_Madam-now that you have yourself admitted to staying in Hno 961 official residence of Health Minister @AAPbalbir please clarify whether adjoining Hno 960 occupied by @msisodia and Hno 961 are interconnected with a small gate in the dividing wall?” Khaira posted on X.
Bishnoi, in turn, replied to the allegations, calling the Congress leader a “vile man”, saying that she is living in the house to take care of her ailing parents. In the video posted by Bishnoi and reposted by Khaira, she says that she has the “blessing of Balbir Singh ji” while pointing to House number 961 and saying, “We are living here; my father’s health is not good”.
The AAP leader has said that she will pursue legal remedies, as Khaira’s allegations have “slandered her character”.
“Sukhpal Khaira! You’re such a vile man, aren’t you, that you won’t even spare a girl the age of your own daughters. What a despicable person you are! Shame on you. You’ve slandered my character, haven’t you. First, just see where I live. And keep watching. I’m going to send you to jail and only then will I catch my breath,” Bishnoi had posted on X on September 25.
In a flurry of tweets, Khaira has also sought answers from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, posting a graphic of different leaders allegedly living in various bungalows supposed to be allotted to state ministers.
“Bhagwant Mann please clarify who allotted the Punjab government Minister houses to these cronies of @ArvindKejriwal ? Did your Ministers sublet these government accommodations to these non Punjabi’s on your directions ? If not are these outsiders like @msisodia are in illegal possession ?” he wrote.
Khaira has named multiple leaders, such as Manish Sisodia, allegedly living in House 960, Jarnail Singh (living in House 926), and Satyendra Jain (allegedly living in 926).
Khaira’s allegations come as parties prepare for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections, expected to happen in 2027. However, no official date has been announced.
Recently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also conducted searches in the state, with some leaders also questioning the timing of the searches, connecting them to the upcoming election.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, while saying that corruption had taken place across departments under the “Chief Minister’s nose”, asked why the central agency became active only ahead of elections.
The ED action has triggered a political confrontation in Punjab, with the ruling AAP accusing the Centre of using central agencies to target the state government ahead of 2027 Assembly elections. AAP leaders and workers also protested outside the GMADA office in Mohali on Thursday. (ANI)
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