Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal was blasted by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress leaders for his annual Vipassana retreat in Punjab, with both parties mocking his “lavish VIP security” as he arrived in Hoshiarpur. Leaders from both parties questioned how a leader who positions himself as a representative of the “common man” can travel with such a large convoy and use state resources. Kejriwal arrived in Hoshiarpur on Tuesday for his eighth Vipassana retreat in the last 12 years with a massive security convoy, including ambulances, fire engines, and several luxury vehicles. The 10-day Vipassana retreat comes just weeks after the Aam Aadmi Party lost the Delhi Assembly polls to the BJP, with the three-time CM losing his top job. BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa slammed Kejriwal, calling him a “VIP Maharaja” who once “pretended to be a common man.” In a post on X, Sirsa wrote, “Arvind Kejriwal, who once pretended to be a common man in a WagonR, now moves in a lavish convoy of bulletproof Land Cruisers, 100+ Punjab Police commandos, jammers & ambulances—like a VIP Maharaja all for Vipassana, a retreat meant for peace!” He also questioned the Punjab government’s funding of the “security parade.” “What kind of ‘Vipassana’ requires a grand security parade funded by Punjab taxpayers? Even CM Bhagwant Mann isn’t in the convoy! AAP’s truth is out—deception, hypocrisy, and VIP arrogance at its peak,” Sirsa added. Senior Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit accused the AAP national convener of “becoming used to a pompous lifestyle.” “He has become used to a pompous and lavish lifestyle. I have been saying for 10 years that he is greedy for power. When he used to get votes on the basis of simplicity, even then, we used to say that his simplicity is just a pretense,” Dikshit said. “He has become so used to the extravagance that comes with power that even in his Vipassana, he has 100 vehicles in his convoy,” he added. Pargat Singh, a Congress MLA from Punjab, also took a shot at Kejriwal questioning what he was trying to prove with this “grand spectacle.” He said, “Vipassana is meant for meditation and peace. But what is Kejriwal trying to prove with this grand spectacle?” “The same Kejriwal who once did drama with a WagonR is now misusing Punjab’s resources. Leaders like him have only deepened public distrust in politics,” Singh added. Kejriwal’s Punjab visit also assumes significance amid the Congress’s claim that several AAP MLAs were ready to defect and Kejriwal would now play a bigger role in Punjab politics. The AAP has dismissed all such rumours, including that Bhagwant Mann will be replaced as the CM of Punjab, where the party remains in power.
