Punjab bungalow row widens as Congress, SAD question AAP over government housing

A political dispute over the use of a government residence in Chandigarh has widened into a broader controversy over the allotment and occupation of Punjab government bungalows, with Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal leaders questioning whether official accommodation is being used by people who are not entitled to it.

The row began after Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira questioned the presence of Aam Aadmi Party leader Gayatri Bishnoi at a government residence in Sector 39 and alleged that AAP leaders were occupying houses meant for Punjab ministers and officials.

Bishnoi rejected the allegations, saying she was staying with her parents at the official residence of Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh because her father was undergoing treatment. She accused Khaira of making personal and defamatory allegations and said she would take legal action against him.

The Punjab State Women's Commission has also taken note of the dispute. Its chairperson Raj Lali Gill said the commission would not tolerate attacks on a woman's dignity and that action would be taken according to law.

Questions over who occupies the government houses

The controversy has since moved beyond the Khaira-Bishnoi exchange, with questions being raised about the official allottees, actual occupants and the rules governing the use of Punjab government residences in Chandigarh.

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia has questioned Bishnoi's explanation and sought clarity on who was occupying the residence, as well as who was paying its electricity and water bills. He also questioned whether ordinary Punjab residents travelling to Chandigarh for medical treatment receive similar accommodation.

These are political allegations and their factual basis would need to be established through official allotment, occupation and utility records.

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has separately demanded that people allegedly occupying ministerial houses without authorisation be removed and that penal rent be recovered wherever violations of government accommodation rules are established.

Warring has also questioned the use of several government residences in Sector 39 and alleged that some houses are being occupied or used by AAP leaders, associates or people from outside Punjab. These claims too require verification through government records.

The dispute has also brought specific houses into focus. Khaira has alleged that House No. 960 in Sector 39, which he says was allotted to Punjab minister Ravjot Singh, was being used by senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia. Bishnoi, however, has said she lives with her parents at House No. 961, the official residence of Health Minister Balbir Singh, because of her father's medical treatment.

House No. 926 brings ED probe into focus

The bungalow controversy has gained another dimension following recent Enforcement Directorate action in a money-laundering investigation linked to the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA).

House No. 926 in Sector 39 has figured in the ED's findings concerning alleged meetings between GMADA officials and former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain. According to the agency, officials allegedly took files outside the GMADA headquarters for informal meetings with Jain and Amarender Jha at the residence.

The ED has said the house was officially allotted to Sunny Singh Ahluwalia, an AAP leader and chairman of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, but alleged that it was being used by Jain. The agency has linked the alleged use of the property to its wider investigation into suspected irregularities involving GMADA land auctions.

AAP has rejected the allegations against Sisodia and Jain as baseless. The ED's claims remain allegations made as part of its investigation and have not been established by a court.

Khaira has also alleged that an ED report indicated that Sisodia and Jain had used official government bungalows for meetings with government officials. These claims form part of the political dispute and are separate from any findings that may ultimately emerge from the agency's investigation.

Congress seeks records and independent inquiry

Congress leader and advocate Gurpratap Singh Gill has separately sought an independent inquiry into the allotment and occupation of Punjab government residences.

Gill's complaint specifically calls for scrutiny of Houses No. 926, 960 and 961. He has sought examination of allotment files, occupancy records, security registers, CCTV footage and visitor records.

He has also demanded recovery of market or penal rent if an inquiry establishes that any of the houses were occupied without proper authorisation.

The dispute has therefore shifted from a confrontation between Khaira and Bishnoi to questions about the wider administration of government accommodation. The key issues include who each residence is officially allotted to, who is actually living there, whether permission has been granted for other occupants and whether the prescribed rent and utility charges are being paid.

Khaira has continued to question the alleged use of ministerial accommodation by AAP leaders, while Bishnoi has maintained that she is staying with her parents at Balbir Singh's official residence because of her father's treatment. She has threatened legal action over Khaira's remarks.

The government accommodation dispute now places the Punjab government under pressure to clarify the allotment and occupancy status of the residences at the centre of the controversy. A house-wise disclosure of official allottees, actual occupants, permissions and applicable rent would establish whether the allegations of unauthorised occupation are supported by government records.