Punjab legislator Harsimrat Badal strongly criticized the AAP-led government for deploying a "security detail and a bullet-proof vehicle provided to Bhagwant Mann" at the wedding celebration of Raghav Chadha and Parineeti Chopra in Udaipur. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, expressed her concerns regarding the expenses associated with the wedding, echoing similar objections raised by BJP's Shehzad Poonawalla, who also questioned the "use of luxury cars and the presence of Punjab police" at the event.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha is preparing to wed Parineeti Chopra in Udaipur, an event that has already drawn attention and stirred controversies. One such controversy centres around a widely circulated video showing Raghav Chadha arriving at Udaipur airport with a significant security presence, dressed in a black pullover and entering a Toyota SUV.
Responding to the viral video on social media, SAD MP Harsimrat Badal asserted that the security personnel accompanying Raghav Chadha were from Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's team and alleged the use of bullet-proof Land Cruisers.
Harsimrat Badal remarked, "At the wedding of Arvind Kejriwal's close associate Raghav Chadha, hundreds of security personnel and bullet-proof Land Cruisers from CM Bhagwant Mann's team are at his service! No wonder the Punjab Governor is rightly questioning the utilization of Punjab's loans worth Rs. 50,000 crores taken by the AAP Punjab government in the last 18 months."
Her statements followed a letter from the Punjab Governor to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, in which the Governor requested clarification from the AAP government regarding the utilization of a loan amounting to "approximately Rs. 50,000 crore" within a mere "18 months."
Harsimrat Badal underscored the concerns, stating, "The Punjab Governor confirms that Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal have acquired loans worth Rs. 50,000 crore in just 18 months! Despite spending on promoting Kejriwal and Mann, there is no visible development in Punjab. Three months later, farmers are still awaiting crop and flood compensation, 18 months on, women are still awaiting their promised monthly Rs. 1,000, and the elderly are awaiting the pledged Rs. 2,500 monthly pension."
Harsimrat Badal's apprehensions emerged following allegations by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding Raghav Chadha, whose monthly expenses are estimated at Rs. 2-3 lakhs, being able to afford a "Maharaja suite costing Rs. 10 lakh per night." Media reports suggested that Raghav Chadha and Parineeti Chopra had reserved a 3,500 square feet Maharaja Suite at the Leela Palace Hotel in Udaipur.
Shehzad Poonawalla of the BJP commented on the matter, stating, "They claimed they would not avail VVIP facilities and security. However, they have constructed an Rs. 100 crores Sheesh Mahal, utilized luxury vehicles at the expense of the state treasury and deployed Punjab police for their personal display instead of utilizing them for law enforcement. This raises questions about the source of this funding. Is it derived from taxpayers' money? How can an individual with an annual declared income of about Rs. 2-3 lakhs afford to spend Rs. 10 lakhs per night on a suite?"
