'Security cover bigger than Donald Trump's': Arvind Kejriwal under fire for massive convoy in Punjab 

Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s latest Vipassana retreat has sparked controversy, not for the meditation itself but for the massive security cover accompanying him. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal took a swipe at the former chief minister, comparing his convoy to that of former US President Donald Trump.

"Kejriwal, who criticises the whole world for VIP culture, is today roaming around with a security cover bigger than Donald Trump," Maliwal tweeted on Wednesday. She also questioned why the AAP supremo needed such heavy security in Punjab, a state where his party is in power. “Why is he so afraid of the people of Punjab who have given him so much love?”

Kejriwal and his wife Sunita are attending a 10-day Vipassana meditation course at the Dhamma Dhaja Vipassana Centre near Hoshiarpur. The couple arrived late Tuesday night at the Forest Rest House in Chohal, about 14 km from Hoshiarpur, accompanied by an extensive convoy. The security detail reportedly included more than 100 Punjab Police personnel, bulletproof vehicles, jammers, and ambulances.

The size of the cavalcade drew sharp criticism from both political rivals and former allies. Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa questioned the need for such grand security arrangements. “What kind of Vipassana requires a grand security parade funded by Punjab taxpayers?” he tweeted.

Sirsa also mocked Kejriwal’s past claims of simplicity. “Arvind Kejriwal, who once pretended to be a common man in a WagonR, now moves in a lavish convoy of bulletproof Land Cruisers, over 100 Punjab Police commandos, jammers, and ambulances like a VIP Maharaja—all for Vipassana, a retreat meant for peace,” he added.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit, who contested against Kejriwal in the New Delhi Assembly election, accused the AAP chief of embracing extravagance. “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 was just a pretence,” Dikshit said. “He has become so used to the extravagance that comes with power that he has 100 vehicles in his convoy to accompany him for a meditation retreat.”

Kejriwal has largely stayed away from public appearances since AAP's crushing defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections, where he lost his New Delhi seat to BJP's Parvesh Verma. The AAP, which once dominated Delhi politics, managed to win only 22 of the 70 Assembly seats, while the BJP secured a landslide victory with 48 seats.

This is Kejriwal’s second Vipassana session at Anandgarh, having attended a similar retreat in December 2023.