AAP scores major upset in Kharar council, SAD loses president's post
2
3
Mohali: In a major political development, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday unseated Kharar municipal council president
Jaspreet Kaur Longia
of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) through a no-confidence motion.
The motion was backed by 18 AAP councillors and supported by local MLA Anmol Gagan Mann and Chamkaur Sahib MLA Dr Charanjit Singh.
The no-confidence motion was tabled and passed during a specially convened meeting of the council, attended by 21 out of 27 councillors. All 18 AAP members were present, along with three opposition councillors, including Longia herself. According to the Punjab Municipal Act, a passed no-confidence motion results in the immediate removal of the sitting president.
Executive officer (EO) of the municipal council, Gurbakshish Singh Sandhu, confirmed the outcome. "The motion was passed in today's meeting. We have forwarded the proceedings to the local bodies department and expect approval by May 19, after which a new house meeting will be called to elect the next president," he said.
Longia said, "I take this as god's orders. AAP has played political vendetta to grab the president's seat and I am ready to vacate it."
The Kharar municipal council elections held on February 17, 2021, initially produced a hung house, with Congress securing 10 seats, SAD 8, AAP 1, and independents 8. Jaspreet Kaur Longia was elected president with the support of SAD and independent councillors.
However, the political equation changed dramatically on Sept 23, 2022, when eight Congress councillors, six independents, and one SAD councillor switched allegiance to AAP, giving the party a clear majority with 18 seats.
The build-up to Friday's motion began on May 5, when all 18 AAP councillors submitted a written request to the EO for a special session to move the no-confidence motion. The letter cited a loss of faith in Longia's leadership and asserted she no longer enjoyed majority support. As per procedure, Longia was given an opportunity to prove her majority during the session.
MLAs Anmol Gagan Mann and Charanjit Singh accompanied the councillors to the meeting venue in a bus, signaling coordinated support from the party's legislative leadership.
Reacting to the development, SAD leader Ranjit Gill criticized AAP's approach, calling it "a display of political dictatorship." He said, "They are toppling elected representatives using government machinery. The people can see their high-handed tactics." Echoing the sentiment, senior SAD leader and former Derabassi MLA N K Sharma alleged that AAP was intimidating councillors loyal to SAD by using police pressure.
BOX
MLAs with councillors arrived under heavy security
AAP MLAs along with 18 MC councillors arrive in a single bus under heavy security at Kharar MC. The police had cordoned off the bus carrying the councillors to the MC house. Led by Kharar DSP Karan Singh Sandhu along with Kharar SHO Sub Inspector Ajitesh Kaushal and armed commandos, the police team escorted the bus to Kharar and then cordoned the passage allowing MLAs and councillors to walk towards the MC building.
MSID:: 121215775 413 |
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
24 minutes ago
- Hans India
Congress sleepwalks toward irrelevance and a 2029 defeat
The Congress party and it's I.N.D.I.A bloc allies have once again exposed their deep-rooted bias and misplaced priorities by mocking names like Operation Mahadev and Operation Sindoor. In their desperation to attack the government, they've stooped to questioning military operations, insulting our armed forces, and echoing hostile foreign voices like Donald Trump. From denying Pakistan's role in terror attacks to staying silent on the Malegaon verdict, the opposition's selective outrage and appeasement politics have crossed all limits. They refuse to show empathy to victims, seek justice for the falsely accused, or respect national sentiment which exposes their dangerous hypocrisy and reminds them that secularism doesn't mean shaming Hindu symbols or compromising India's integrity. They say you can wake up a sleeping person, but you cannot wake someone who is pretending to be asleep. This aptly describes the Congress party and the disjointed I.N.D.I.A bloc today. Their posturing in Parliament during the debate on Operation Sindoor and Operation Mahadev proves one thing: if they continue down this path, they are inching towards a political wipeout by 2029. Let me begin with a small anecdote. In Tamil Nadu, sworn opponents DMK and AIADMK, despite their ideological battles, once presented a united front before Singapore authorities regarding a delayed project. The Singapore officials were stunned to see both parties in the same room. The Tamil leaders simply replied, 'Our fight is only within the state. When it comes to protecting Tamil Nadu's interests, we are one.' In stark contrast, look at Andhra Pradesh's YSRCP, a Congress offshoot led by former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. They shamelessly wrote to Singapore, urging them to withhold investments in Andhra Pradesh, citing a potential change in government at a time when the incumbent Chief Minister and the official delegation were in talks to attract investments to the state. And in Delhi, the Congress and allies act in a similar fashion — prioritising petty politics over national interest. During the parliamentary discussion on the military operations that neutralised terrorists and upheld national honour, Congress and its allies insulted the armed forces by questioning the names of the operations — Operation Sindoor and Operation Mahadev — calling them communal and divisive. Seriously? They don't ask how our armed forces entered deep into Pakistani territory, destroyed their airbase and effectively called Pakistan's nuclear bluff and how the homemade missiles caught the attention of the world and how our forces neutralised drones. Instead, they obsess over how many aircraft India may have lost and why the operation was named 'Mahadev,' even going so far as to claim—without a shred of evidence—that five jets were downed. What a distorted sense of priorities. Some argue that terrorists don't care about religion when they kill. But how can they dismiss the words of a young widow whose husband was brutally murdered before her eyes—after the terrorists explicitly asked about their religion? Former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram even shamelessly asked, 'Where is the proof that they came from Pakistan? They could be home-grown terrorists.' Does he want to be Pakistan's defence lawyer? Is there no empathy left in the Congress leadership for the families of those who died in the Pahalgam attack? The grieving families found some solace on coming to know that the killers were neutralised. But the opposition? They were busy crafting conspiracy theories and playing communal politics. Their hatred for the current government has become so blind that they've started echoing the words of US President Donald Trump over the statements made by India's own ministers in Parliament. Trump falsely claimed on multiple occasions that he brokered peace between India and Pakistan. The opposition clowns couldn't even decide how many times Trump said it — some said 25, Rahul said 29. Maybe they should learn basic arithmetic before jumping into geopolitics. They should have also spoken about Trump's theatrics of sharing an AI-generated video of the arrest of former president of US Barack Obama, something which is not expected from people in such high positions. When Trump called India's economy 'dead,' Rahul Gandhi — ever eager to join anyone who criticises the country just to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi — promptly echoed the statement. But Trump's comment wasn't surprising, considering that the U.S. is now courting Pakistan to explore so-called 'massive oil reserves.' This has sparked scepticism: Does Pakistan really have oil reserves significant enough to attract major American interest? Official Pakistani data tells a different story. In 2019, Pakistan produced only 89,030 barrels of crude oil per day. By 2025, this figure is projected to fall further to 64,262 barrels per day — hardly a sign of a booming oil economy. Meanwhile, what truly seems to irk the U.S. — and by extension, Trump — is that India has become the world's fourth-largest economy, trailing only the US, China and Germany. Even more disruptive was India's launch of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) — a revolutionary digital platform that brought cashless convenience to over one billion people, many of whom never had access to traditional banking systems. While much of the developed world remains tethered to credit cards and slow, fee-laden payment models, UPI leapfrogged ahead — empowering everyone from small-time vendors to global entrepreneurs. India's digital economy is flourishing. Per capita income has doubled in the last 11 years, and the country is now a global leader in GDP growth. In such a scenario, calling the Indian economy 'dead' is not just false — it's absurd. When your country is unfairly criticised, a patriot stands up in its defence. But not Rahul Gandhi — for him, attacking Modi takes precedence over defending India. Rahul, as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, demanded 'proof' of Operation Sindoor's success. But he must now explain a far more serious issue: Who was responsible for the 2008 Malegaon blasts? He must stop ducking the issue and apologise for maligning individuals like Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit and Major Ramesh Upadhyay, who lost 17 crucial years of their lives to false accusations. The courts have since dismissed the so-called 'saffron terror' narrative. If not them, then who was behind the blasts? Will Congress take responsibility? Will they apologise or offer restitution? Unlikely. Instead, Rahul Gandhi continues to deflect with lines like, 'Don't divert the issue. The real issue is India's economy is dead.' But that's the real tragedy — a politics devoid of accountability, humility, or truth. Sonia Gandhi, who chaired the UPA at the time, and Rahul Gandhi must break their silence. Justice delayed was grave enough — justice denied would be unforgivable. And now, the same bunch dares to call Operation Mahadev communal! Do they not know that naming military operations is the prerogative of the armed forces, often based on geography, symbolism, or historical references? Under Congress rule, there were operations like: Operation Vijay; Operation Meghdoot; Operation Shivalik and Operation Devi Shakti. Were these names not Hindu references? Were those operations communal? Of course not. Each Indian army regiment has its own battle cry: Gorkha Rifles: 'Jai Maa Kali, Ayo Gorkhali!' Rajputana Rifles: 'Raja Ram Chandra Ki Jai!' Kumaon Regiment: 'Kalika Mata Ki Jai!' Sikh Regiment: 'Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal!' These are not signs of communalism — they are signs of regimental spirit, heritage, and pride. The Congress and its allies need to understand that secularism does not mean mocking Hinduism at every opportunity. It means equal respect for all religions. But unfortunately, they see religious insult only in Hindu expressions, while bending over backwards to appease others. Their attempts to peddle fear and division have backfired. Even the minorities they claim to champion see through this farce now. The Congress no longer understands the pulse of the people — their outdated politics of appeasement, victimhood, and communal blame-game have rendered them irrelevant in modern India. It's high time the Congress stops pretending to be asleep — or else, they will sleepwalk into another electoral disaster in 2029. (The author is former Chief Editor of The Hans India)
Hans India
24 minutes ago
- Hans India
MP R. Krishnaiah Accuses Congress of Betrayal on BC Reservation Promises
Hyderabad: Member of Parliament and BJP leader R. Krishnaiah made strong accusations against the ruling Congress government. He alleged that the government had deliberately neglected the welfare of the Backwards Classes (BC) despite its commitments made in the Kamareddy BC Declaration. Addressing the media on Friday, Krishnaiah criticised the Congress for failing to implement the promised 42% BC reservation. He claimed that the party was shifting responsibility by blaming the central government and the BJP. He pointed out that under Constitutional Amendments 73 and 74, specifically Clause 243D(6), state governments have the authority to decide local body reservations, which means the current Congress-led government could act immediately. He further alleged that the Congress was falsely claiming that the BJP had blocked the reservation bill, despite the BJP's declared support for also mentioned that no Government Order (GO) has been issued, even after the Assembly approved the measure. According to Krishnaiah, reservations should be based on caste professions rather than religion; he argued that including Muslims undermines the genuine representation of BC communities. Krishnaiah referenced past injustices, such as the diversion of 4% central BC reservation to Muslims under the UPA government, and condemned religious-based quotas. He cited Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's views, emphasising that reservations should specifically address caste-based discrimination. He commended the Modi government for conducting a national caste census, granting constitutional status to the National BC Commission, and launching initiatives like the PM Vishwakarma Yojana to support caste professions. He also criticised Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for questioning the Prime Minister's identity concerning BC interests. Krishnaiah called on all BC leaders and groups to participate in a Mahadharna at Indira Park on August 2, demanding the implementation of the Kamareddy Declaration and exposing what he claimed were Congress's double standards. Krishnaiah stated that the Congress government lacks sincerity and transparency, asserting that only the BJP is genuinely committed to the empowerment of Backwards Classes.
Hans India
24 minutes ago
- Hans India
BJP OBC Morcha to Stage Protest at Indira Park Over Unfulfilled Kamareddy BC Declaration Promises
Hyderabad: The BJP OBC Morcha will lead a major protest at Dharna Chowk, Indira Park, at 11 AM on Saturday. They are demanding the immediate implementation of promises made to Backward Classes (BCs) in the Kamareddy BC Declaration, which was issued by the Congress Party ahead of the last Assembly elections. This protest serves as a rallying call for BC empowerment and accountability. It will feature participation from key national and state BJP leaders, including: N. Ramachander Rao, BJP State President, G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Coal and Mines, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Dr. K. Laxman, MP and BJP OBC Morcha National President, Member of the BJP Parliamentary Board, R. Krishnaiah, MP and President of the All India BC Welfare Association, Alleti Maheshwar Reddy, BJP Legislature Party Leader, AVN Reddy, BJP Legislative Council Leader and G. Anand Goud, BJP OBC Morcha State President The protest is a response to allegations from BJP leaders that the Congress government has failed to fulfill its electoral promises to BCs, particularly the commitment to 42% reservation. The BJP claims that, despite having legislative authority and constitutional support, the Congress-led government has delayed issuing the necessary orders due to unfounded legal and political obstacles. Party officials emphasize that this Dharna aims to raise public awareness, push for meaningful policy action, and challenge political narratives that undermine the interests of genuine BC communities. BJP leaders from across the state and national bodies, including MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and office bearers, are expected to attend in solidarity. 'It's time to hold the Congress accountable. The voices of BCs can no longer be ignored,' declared a senior BJP representative.
