Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Sunday accused the Punjab government of attempting to curb media coverage of her recent allegations against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal by obstructing newspaper distribution across the state.
In a post on X, Maliwal wrote, “Shocking! This morning, tPunjab government has reportedly attempted to block the distribution of newspapers across several areas. All this is happening because the news about Arvind Kejriwal ji’s Sheesh Mahal 2.0 is spreading like wildfire throughout Punjab.”
She further alleged that media houses were being threatened with withdrawal of government advertisements if they covered her allegations or mentioned her name. “Dictatorship at its peak!” she wrote.
Her remarks came a day after she accused Kejriwal and the AAP of misusing government resources to construct a lavish residential complex in Punjab, which she referred to as “Sheesh Mahal 2.0.”
According to Maliwal, a two-acre, seven-star government bungalow in Chandigarh’s Sector 2, originally meant for the Punjab Chief Minister, has allegedly been allotted to Kejriwal. She also claimed that two other government-owned luxury bungalows in Sector 39, reportedly meant for former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia (House No. 960) and former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain (House No. 926), are being occupied by AAP leaders who have shifted from Delhi.
“Occupying government property is a crime,” Maliwal asserted, alleging that the Punjab government has extended similar privileges to several Delhi-based AAP functionaries residing in Chandigarh. She further claimed that Kejriwal recently used a government helicopter to travel from the bungalow premises to Ambala, before flying to Gujarat in a Punjab government jet for party-related work.
The Punjab government and the Aam Aadmi Party have not yet commented on Maliwal’s latest allegations.
