
BJP questions AAP's Ludhiana West candidate Sanjeev Arora for taking credit of central government projects.
Ludhiana: The Bharatiya Janata Party (
BJP
) has accused Rajya Sabha MP and Aam Aadmi Party's Ludhiana West assembly byelection candidate Sanjeev Arora of misleading voters by claiming credit for this city's centrally funded development projects, dubbing him "Ludhiana Ka Kejriwal" in a pointed comparison to
AAP
's national convener and Delhi's former chief minister
Arvind Kejriwal
.
Punjab BJP general secretary Anil Sarin led the charge during a press conference on Wednesday, challenging Arora to list publicly any infrastructure or development projects secured from the Punjab govt during his three-year term in the Rajya Sabha. "Sanjeev Arora was a member of Parliament for three years before being named AAP's candidate for the
Ludhiana West byelection
. But can he name even one project that was sanctioned by the state govt through his efforts?" Sarin said.
He argued that several key developments Arora had taken credit for — including the Halwara airport, the Ludhiana railway station revamp, elevated roads, and bridges over the Sidhwan Canal — are all initiatives either fully funded or executed by the central govt. Sarin claimed that the Halwara airport was planned under the Prime Minister's Udan scheme well before Arora's term had begun. "The state govt has no role in these projects," Sarin said. "Yet Arora continues to mislead voters, much like Kejriwal in Delhi and chief minister Bhagwant Mann in Punjab — all publicity, no delivery." Sarin warned Arora that he could face the same electoral backlash as Kejriwal, whose party had suffered defeats in Delhi's municipal elections recently. "Voters know when they are being taken for a ride," he added.
Med college, Smart City claims disputed
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Alger: AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Aroun...
Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List
Undo
The BJP leader also alleged that the AAP candidate had claimed credit falsely for a new Employees' State Insurance (ESI) medical college in Ludhiana. "The central govt had approved 10 ESI medical colleges, and through persistent efforts, Punjab BJP had secured one for Ludhiana," Sarin claimed. He criticised AAP for circulating a recent four-page advertisement in the constituency, in which Arora had reportedly credited self for a range of centrally funded projects.
'₹850 cr vanished into Buddha Dariya'
Sarin also took aim at both AAP and Congress govts of Punjab over the handling of Ludhiana's Buddha Dariya rejuvenation project. He said that despite Rs 850 crore — mostly from central schemes — being spent, the water body remained polluted. "The public deserves answers. Where was this money spent actually?" he asked. Sarin also questioned the outcome of Rs 1,500 crore allocated under the central Smart Cities Mission. "Where is the smart city?" he asked the Punjab govt and Ludhiana administration. "The same civic issues persist, but the ruling party continues to take credit without results." The BJP has made development accountability a key theme of its campaign ahead of the Ludhiana West byelection, urging voters to scrutinise the claims of its rival parties.
MSID:: 120764984 413 |

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Crippled by Op Sindoor strikes, Pak eyeing Germany for air defence upgrades
Rattled by the devastating impact of BrahMos missile strikes during India's Operation Sindoor, Pakistan is now exploring the procurement of a new air defence system to counter future to sources, Islamabad is actively considering the purchase of the IRIS-T SLM air defence system from Germany in a bid to strengthen its aerial shield against India's supersonic cruise missiles, particularly the move comes after Pakistan's existing Chinese-origin air defence systems, including the HQ-9 and HQ-16, failed to detect or intercept Indian missile attacks during the operation. In contrast, the IRIS-T SLM system has demonstrated significant effectiveness in recent combat situations. In Ukraine, where several units were redirected from Egypt due to the ongoing war, the German-made system has reportedly shot down over 60 aerial targets since its deployment last it was said to have successfully intercepted Russian Oniks missiles, which are similar in profile to India's by Diehl Defence, the IRIS-T SLM is known for its modular and compact architecture. Each unit, estimated to cost around USD 200 million, includes radar, an operations centre, and launchers, all mounted on a 20-foot interest in the system highlights its urgent push to rebuild and upgrade its air defence network, particularly after key air bases were damaged by Indian missiles during Operation grappling with a severe economic crisis, Pakistan has raised its defence budget by 18 per cent this year while simultaneously scrapping domestic development projects valued at 1,000 billion Pakistani the past month, the country has secured financial assistance totalling USD 1.8 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to address its fiscal Germany's Diehl Defence, the maker of the IRIS-T SLM, is also involved in a major Indian defence initiative. The company is collaborating with Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems on Project 75I, a Rs 70,000 crore programme to build six submarines for the Indian Indian-German collaboration also includes the development of the Interactive Defence and Attack System (IDAS), which will be integrated into the India's Reliance Defence has announced a partnership to manufacture Vulcano 155mm precision-guided artillery shells domestically. The initiative is expected to generate revenues of approximately Rs 10,000 crore, with over 50 per cent of the components to be produced indigenously.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
West Bengal govt to allow residential consumers to opt out from power smart meters: Official
KOLKATA : Amid protests over alleged inflated electricity bills following the installation of prepaid smart meters, the West Bengal government has decided to allow residential power consumers to opt out from the system and revert to traditional devices, an official said on Tuesday. The government had on Monday temporarily suspended fresh installations of smart meters for domestic consumers, he said. "The installation of smart meters for residential consumers has been temporarily suspended, but there is no plan for a mass recall. Consumers can choose to switch back to conventional meters," the official said. The prepaid smart meter installation will continue for commercial and government establishments, the official said. The decision comes after the BJP and the Left Front have been accusing the Trinamool Congress government of "burdening households with sudden tariff hikes and opaque smart meter installation". There had been protests in districts such as Howrah, North 24 Parganas, and Bardhaman, where people alleged their bills doubled or tripled after smart meter installations. The Mamata Banerjee government had earlier approved large-scale smart meter deployment to help the cash-strapped utility, West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd, recover dues. The state government departments alone owed over Rs 1,500 crore to the discom, which has a total debt of Rs 15,400 crore in the 2023-24 fiscal, the official said. In May, Polaris Smart Metering secured a Rs 2,246-crore contract to install 2.2 million smart meters in West Bengal under the Centre's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).


The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Delhi will not suffer in this monsoon as it did in 2023, says CM
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday said 15 monitoring stations, including a central control room, have been set up to observe the Yamuna river level and track waterlogging-prone areas, enabling timely action to prevent floods and waterlogging during the upcoming monsoon. Ms. Gupta made the announcement after chairing a meeting on flood control and issuing the 'Flood Control Order, 2025', which will serve as a manual to ensure synergy among all the government departments while tackling emergency situations during heavy rain. 'Every year, citizens of Delhi suffer due to the dual challenges of floods and waterlogging. In August-September 2023, the city experienced unprecedented floods when the Yamuna river rose to 208.6 meters, submerging many residential areas and resulting in loss of life and severe disruption. We will be prepared this year,' said the CM. She criticised the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, saying it did not take the work of flood control seriously. 'In 2023, the gates of the ITO barrage couldn't even be opened due to poor preparedness. In contrast, this year all major barrages have undergone large-scale repairs and maintenance, and nearly 20 lakh tonnes of silt has been removed from the major drains.' She added that 80-90% of the desilting works had been completed by the Public Works Department and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and the remaining work is under way. Unseasonal rain last month led to several incidents of waterlogging, prompting the CM to take action against the officials concerned. Monsoon protocol As per Wednesday's order, sector committees have been created across the city. These will be headed by Cabinet Ministers Pravesh Sahib Singh, Ashish Sood, and Manjinder Singh Sirsa. Each panel will include three to four District Magistrates and will be responsible for flood management in its respective sector. The PWD and other departments concerned have been asked to ensure that all permanent pump houses remain functional. They have also been instructed to deploy mobile pumps wherever necessary to prevent waterlogging. The central flood control room will start operating on June 15 and has been established at the office of the District Magistrate (East). It will function as a coordination hub with representatives from all civic bodies stationed 24x7. A total of 15 wireless stations, including the central control room, will continuously monitor the water levels of the Yamuna and other vulnerable areas. In response to the CM's allegations, AAP said that the ITO barrage is maintained by the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Haryana government. 'In 2023, they [Haryana government] had to suspend their Chief Engineer for failing to maintain the barrage's gates. In 2024, the AAP government ensured that the Haryana government properly maintained the gates. The same was done in 2025.'