At the heart of the current controversy is AAP’s observer in Punjab, Gayatri Bishnoi, popularly known as GB in party circles, whose increasing stature in the party is attributed to her proximity to Manish Sisodia. Bishnoi, who is AAP’s Rajasthan state women’s chief, has emerged as one of the party’s key organisational functionaries in Punjab. The dispute over her accommodation, however, has now taken a personal turn.
Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, in a video released on X, made an off-colour remark while alleging that Bishnoi was staying with Sisodia in government bungalow number 960, allotted to minister Ravjot Singh. Khaira questioned why AAP leaders who do not hold ministerial positions in the Punjab government were occupying official residences allotted to elected ministers.
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Bishnoi hit back with a video of her own, accusing Khaira of maligning her and threatening legal action. She said she was staying with her parents at the official residence of Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh because her father is a heart patient and is undergoing treatment in Chandigarh. Bishnoi said the arrangement had been made with the minister’s permission. The Punjab State Women’s Commission has also taken note of Khaira’s remarks, with its chairperson Raj Lali Gill saying that remarks targeting a woman’s dignity would invite action under the law.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has also waded into the controversy. Senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia posted pictures and questioned the use of government accommodation by AAP functionaries. The Opposition has also circulated a list naming AAP leaders allegedly occupying bungalows meant for Punjab ministers and MLAs. These allegations remain part of the ongoing political dispute, with the Opposition demanding clarity from the state government on who authorised such accommodation.
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ET flagged bungalow issue in 2025
The latest controversy has revived questions that ET had first raised in its July 7, 2025 edition, when it reported that AAP functionaries Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain were occupying ministerial bungalows in Chandigarh’s Sector 39A. ET’s report had drawn attention to bungalow numbers 926 and 960 and raised questions over the use of official residences by leaders who were not part of the Punjab cabinet. Contemporary reporting has also documented allegations that Sisodia was using a residence allotted to minister Ravjot Singh, while another bungalow was allegedly being used by Jain.
For the ruling party, the allegations have opened a fresh political confrontation just months before Punjab heads into another electoral contest. With the Opposition now seeking explanations over multiple residences, the question of who is entitled to occupy Punjab’s ministerial bungalows – and under whose authorisation – is set to remain a political talking point in the run-up to the polls.
