Vipassana excuse, addicted to luxury: BJP attacks Kejriwal over Punjab visit

NEW DELHI: The BJP launched a scathing attack on AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday, accusing him of using his 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat in Punjab as a pretext to enjoy a lavish lifestyle.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva also claimed that Kejriwal is seeking a Rajya Sabha seat after his party lost the Assembly polls in the national capital.

There was no immediate response from Kejriwal or the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the allegations.

"After losing the election, he (Kejriwal) is now looking for a Rajya Sabha seat because he is addicted to a luxurious lifestyle. Vipassana is just an excuse, the real reason for his presence in Punjab is the turmoil in the AAP's Punjab unit," Sachdeva told PTI Videos.

He also criticised the high-security arrangements for Kejriwal in Punjab. Responding to concerns over the AAP leader's security, Sachdeva said, "What kind of threat does he have from Khalistani elements with whom he had dined and from whom his party collects money? It is a fact that the AAP has been taking funds from these anti-national elements for elections. This is nothing but a trick to loot public money."

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa mocked Kejriwal's retreat, questioning the scale of the security arrangements. "The scene was of cars worth more than Rs 2 crore, hundreds of police commandos, fire brigades and ambulances. What kind of peace-seeking is this? He once called himself a common man, but after gaining power, he has revealed his real face," Sirsa said.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Praveen Khandelwal alleged that the Punjab government's resources are being misused for Kejriwal's benefit.

"It is clear how the Punjab government's machinery is being misused by a man who is not even entitled to it. We have seen misuse of government machinery for the last 10 years (in Delhi) and now, it is happening in Punjab," he said.

Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal also took a jibe at Kejriwal's security cover. "Why is Kejriwal so afraid of the people of Punjab who gave him so much love? The man who criticised VIP culture now has a security convoy bigger than Donald Trump's," she said in a post on X.

The Delhi BJP also attacked Kejriwal on social media, saying in a post in Hindi: "The people of Delhi have shown corrupt Kejriwal the way out of power, yet his lust for power is not diminishing. He calls himself an 'aam aadmi', but why is he getting VIP treatment in Punjab with such a large convoy? What kind of 'aam aadmi' is this whose desires are never-ending?"

Kejriwal arrived in Punjab's Hoshiarpur on Tuesday for a 10-day session on Vipassana, an ancient Indian meditation technique focused on self-transformation through self-observation. However, BJP leaders have questioned his continued access to government privileges, despite no longer holding an official position.

In the Delhi Assembly polls in February, Kejriwal suffered a shocking defeat in the New Delhi constituency, where he lost the contest to BJP's Parvesh Sahib Singh by 4,089 votes. The BJP secured a decisive mandate, winning 48 of the 70 seats, marking its return to power in Delhi after more than 26 years. The, AAP, which governed the city for more than 10 years, was reduced to just 22 seats.