Arvind Kejriwal slams CMs’ Davos trips as ‘picnic’ with families amid WEF 2026, pitches AAP welfare model | Watch

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on 22 January took a swipe at chief ministers of other states for attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, alleging that they were using the trip as a ‘picnic’ rather than for serious investment outreach.

The former Delhi Chief Minister claimed that one chief minister travelled to Davos in the same flight with a ‘neighbouring’ industrialist and signed agreements in the Swiss mountain town.

“All their chief ministers are in Switzerland right now. The WEF is underway in Davos. All CMs are there with their families. One CM from a state travelled to Davos on the same flight and signed an agreement. They don’t go there for work but for picnic,” Kejriwal said while addressing a public gathering at the launch of the Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana, offering cashless medical treatment up to ₹10 lakh per family per year in Punjab.

Kejriwal was perhaps referring to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis whose government signed a ₹1 lakh crore deal with the Mumbai-based Lodha Group for developing data centres in the financial capital of India. The deal was signed in Davos on 20 January.

Contrasting such visits with the AAP government’s approach in Punjab under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Kejriwal said his administration had prioritised public welfare over foreign travel.

“Look at their CMs going to Switzerland and here is your CM who is making a health card for you. He can also go; his wife and daughter would also wish to be in Switzerland. But he stayed here for three crore Punjabis,” he said.

The remarks come amid political sparring over state leaders attending the annual WEF summit, where several chief ministers have sought to attract global investment. Kejriwal’s comments underline the AAP’s attempt to position itself as a party focused on governance and welfare delivery, while accusing rival parties of extravagance and misplaced priorities.

Maharashtra government has signed 19 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth ₹14.50 lakh crore on the first day of World Economic Forum in Davos in Switzerland on 19 January.

Earlier, Fadnavis’s banker-singer wife Amruta Fadnavis responded to remarks by Shiv Sena-UBT MP Sanjay Raut and said the CM was not in Davos for a picnic.

Raut had demanded that travel costs of the leaders travelling to Davos be revealed to the public.“Chief ministers from various states in India are having a picnic in Davos,” Raut had said.

“The Davos conference is ridiculous from an Indian perspective,” he added.

World leaders from government, business, civil society and academia have convened in Davos to engage in forward-looking discussions to address global issues and set priorities from January 19-23. Chief Ministers from BJP-ruled states and also from those ruled by the Congress party such as Telangana were in Davos this year.