New Delhi [India], March 26 (ANI): Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma on Thursday took a dig at former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, comparing him to a character from the film 'Dhurandhar' for allegedly misusing public funds to build a 'Sheesh Mahal'.

Verma claimed that Kejriwal, during his tenure, misled the people with promises while using public money for personal gain.

Speaking to ANI, Verma said, 'The character Rehman Dakait is very much in news due to the movie (DHURANDHAR), Delhi was looted as well. The 11-year government in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, who was the Chief Minister of Delhi, showed the people dreams, but he looted all the public money and invested it in his own house, building a 'Sheesh Mahal', thinking that no one would be able to defeat him. But our 'Dhurandhar' voters defeated him.'

Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also slammed Kejriwal over allegations regarding the construction of a 'Sheesh Mahal' with public funds.

'You all were waiting for the 'Sheesh Mahal' for a long time; you all can see it (video posted by Delhi BJP), misdeeds of Kejriwal, with the money of the public, he built this 'Sheesh Mahal' and crossed all limits of corruption,' she said.

The 'Sheesh Mahal' controversy revolves around allegations that crores of rupees were spent on renovating Kejriwal's official residence during the COVID-19 pandemic, when several development works were reportedly stalled. Kejriwal, who resigned as chief minister in September 2024, later vacated the Flagstaff Road bungalow in Civil Lines on October 4, 2024.

Meanwhile, AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj criticised the Delhi government for accumulating nearly Rs 20,000 crore in debt.

He stated that, for the first time in Delhi's history, a government has come to power that has placed the state government in debt, pointing out that this is a major shift from the past, when Delhi had never been in debt.

'For the first time in Delhi's history, a government has come to power that has put the Delhi government in debt. Until now, the Delhi government had never been in debt. They have saddled the Delhi government with a debt of nearly twenty thousand crore rupees,' Bhardwaj told ANI. (ANI)