Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday launched a sharp attack on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal, questioning his “common man” image and accusing him of leading a lavish lifestyle. Her remarks came hours after a Delhi court discharged Kejriwal, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and 21 others in the excise policy case.

Addressing reporters in the capital, Gupta alleged that Kejriwal’s public persona did not match his lifestyle, referring to controversies surrounding his official residence—often dubbed the “Sheesh Mahal” by political opponents—and his alleged use of aircraft for travel. “You don’t feel like staying outside the Sheesh Mahal. You don’t prefer travelling except in jets, and you call yourself an honest ordinary man,” she said, dismissing his claims of being “Kattar Imandar” (uncompromisingly honest) as theatrics.

The Delhi chief minister also questioned why the AAP government withdrew the 2021–22 excise policy in July 2022 soon after a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe was initiated into alleged irregularities in its formulation and implementation. She raised concerns over provisions of the scrapped policy, including the privatisation of retail liquor sales and the increase in commission for liquor traders from 5 per cent to 12 per cent.

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Gupta further claimed that investigative agencies had traced evidence of money laundering and alleged that Kejriwal had misled the people of Delhi on multiple issues. She asserted that his party’s defeat in the February 2025 Assembly elections reflected public dissatisfaction and maintained that justice would ultimately prevail as the legal process continues.

The CBI has since challenged the discharge order in the Delhi High Court, keeping the matter under judicial consideration. The political exchange underscores the intensifying rivalry between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the AAP ahead of upcoming electoral contests, with both sides seeking to shape public perception in the aftermath of the court’s decision.

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