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New Indian Express
an hour ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Performance below par: Congress, AAP slam BJP-led govt over first 100 days in Delhi
NEW DELHI: Both the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have sharply criticised the BJP-led government in the national capital over its performance in the first 100 days. While Congress slammed the government for being a complete disappointment, giving it a 'zero' mark, AAP presented a detailed report card outlining the government's failures. During a press conference, Delhi Congress chief Devendra Yadav accused the BJP government, led by Rekha Gupta, of failing to live up to the hopes of the residents. Yadav claimed that the city, once thriving under Sheila Dikshit's Congress government, had now been left struggling. He alleged that in its first 100 days, the BJP government had only worsened the situation, taking the city 'from ICU to ventilator.' 'The people of Delhi voted BJP to power after 27 years with great expectations, but the first 100 days have been entirely disappointing,' Yadav said, adding that the BJP's Rs 1 lakh crore budget was a false announcement and that pollution data had been manipulated.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
AAP's Sanjeev Arora files nomination, Kejriwal says ‘Ludhiana runs in his veins'
A Rajya Sabha member and industrialist, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Sanjeev Arora on Friday filed his nomination papers for the June 19 Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll following a massive roadshow by the ruling AAP in Ludhiana, in which AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, former Delhi CM Atishi, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and state AAP president Aman Arora participated. Asserting that in the past three months, he completed work that had been pending for seven decades, 61-year-old Arora told the gathering during the roadshow: 'Many families in Ludhiana had not been able to get ownership of their houses/ land since Partition, but the registrations were completed within three months, and now they are rightful owners of their properties… I promise to make Ludhiana a city that in future, your relatives/ friends who live abroad would also want to live in such a city.' The AAP was the first to declare its candidate for the bypoll, which was necessitated after AAP's Ludhiana West MLA Gurpreet Gogi's death in January. Gogi, who was earlier with Congress, had joined AAP ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections, and defeated former minister and two-time Ludhiana West MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu. On Thursday, Congress candidate Ashu — now pitted against Arora — as well as Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) pick Parupkar Singh Ghuman filed their nomination papers for the upcoming bypoll. 'Like Prime Minister Narendra Modi says 'sindoor' runs in his veins, don't know whether it does… but let me tell you all, Ludhiana and its people run in the veins of Sanjeev Arora,' Kejriwal praised Arora, while taking a dig at the PM for his remarks in the aftermath of 'Operation Sindoor'. Asserting that people must vote for Arora if they want development, Kejriwal further said: 'Arora only thinks about Ludhiana and its development — 24 hours, every day… In a way, Mann and I are quite fed up with him (Arora). Whenever he meets us, he only asks about new projects and development work for Ludhiana. He is always ready with a new demand for Ludhiana, be it a road or a hospital or something else. Nothing crosses his mind other than the development of Ludhiana… You cannot get a better candidate than him.' Mann, during the address, said: 'Your enthusiasm says we are again going to register an emphatic win from the Ludhiana West seat… I will visit Ludhiana regularly to oversee the work… and the campaign for Arora.' Further, in a veiled attack on Ashu — Arora's Congress rival in the upcoming bypoll — Kejriwal said the people of Ludhiana West had broken Ashu's 'arrogance' in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, and they will do so this time too. Ashu had served as the Ludhiana West MLA in 2012 and 2017, prior to his defeat by AAP's Gogi by a margin of 7,512 votes in 2022. 'In 2022, the people of Ludhiana West had voted against their sitting MLA's gussa (anger), ahankaar (arrogance), and guroor (pride)… You all had given AAP an overwhelming, historic mandate. Of the 92 seats the party had won, the Ludhiana West seat was also included… You all had voted for our Gogi saab back then, but unfortunately, he is no more amongst us. This time too, you all must vote for AAP.' 'I don't need to say anything about Arora. If you want a sewadar who works for you, vote for Arora,' Kejriwal said: 'Kaam to hum hi karaayenge (Only we can get the work done).' Earlier, Ashu had claimed his electoral fight was not against Arora but Kejriwal, who has allegedly been fighting for his own backdoor entry to Rajya Sabha from Punjab. On Friday, Arora's son Kavya Arora filed papers as his 'covering candidate'. Arora's wife Sandhya Arora accompanied both of them. Arora is set to participate in his first elections as earlier, he was directly nominated to Rajya Sabha by AAP. The bypoll to the Ludhiana West Assembly seat is scheduled for June 19, and the counting on June 23.
Mint
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
Delhi's BJP govt completes 100 days, releases ‘workbook'; CM Rekha Gupta takes dig at ‘meva khane wali sarkar'
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Delhi government completed its first 100 days of governance in the national capital on Saturday, May 31. On the occasion, the Delhi government released a 'workbook', highlighting important public welfare initiatives launched so far under Rekha Gupta's chief ministership. "On the completion of 100 days of service of the BJP government in Delhi, a workbook was released, which includes details of the major achievements so far and future plans," Delhi CM Rekha Gupta posted on X. She said, "Important steps like the expansion of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, Yamuna cleaning campaign and Mahila Samridhi Yojana are a reflection of these 100 days of service." Rekha Gupta was sworn in as Delhi's Chief Minister on February 20, 2025. The BJP formed the government in the national capital after 27 years by winning 48 seats in the Delhi Assembly elections, pushing the the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) into the opposition with 22 seats. The Congress failed to win a single seat for the third consecutive time. The Delhi government's workbook titled "Kam karne wali Sarkar-100 din seva ke" was released by CM Rekha Gupta along with her cabinet ministers Ashish Sood and Kapil Mishra. The book highlighted the government's key initiatives across the health, education, infrastructure and welfare sectors. These include budget allocation for implementing the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, a ₹ 51,000 crore provision for the Mahila Samman Yojana, a monthly assistance scheme for poor women. The workbook highlighted measures such as the Yamuna cleaning plan, street lights, Vay Vandana Yojana, setting up Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, and flagging DEVI buses. 'Meva khane wali sarkar' & 'seva karne wali sarkar' On completing 100 days of the Delhi government, CM Rekha Gupta said, "We are very happy and satisfied that the rights the people of Delhi deserve are being delivered with full dedication by the government. And surely, as Viksit Bharat progresses, Viksit Delhi will also progress and witness significant development." In a video posted on X, Rekha Gupta slammed the AAP which ruled Delhi for 10 years before the BJP came to power. She called the previous AAP government "10 saal ki meva khane wali Sarkar", while she termed the ruling BJP government as "100 din ki seva karne wali sarkar." The AAP criticised the BJP government in Delhi, saying, "100 days of destruction by the BJP government is just a trailer, the full picture of the BJP's 'destruction model' is yet to come," the AAP posted on X. On Friday, Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav criticised the BJP-led government in the city for failing to deliver on key election promises and for the 'deteriorating' law and order of the national capital. Yadav said that it is the party's "duty" to question the pain faced by the people of Delhi as the BJP-led government completes 100 days here.
Hans India
3 hours ago
- Hans India
Five killed in blast at illegal firecracker factory in Pb
Chandigarh: At least five people were killed and 34 injured on Friday in a blast at a double-storey illegal firecracker factory located on the outskirts of a village in Punjab's Muktsar district, police said. Most of the victims were migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The factory, owned by Tarsem Singh, who is associated with the state-ruled AAP, in Singhwala village, was reduced to rubble owing to the intensity of the blast, trapping many under debris. According to the police, the blast occurred at midnight. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals, including All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda, and most of them were stated to be out of danger. Senior Superintendent of Police, Muktsar Sahib, Akhil Chaudhary, said the blast occurred in one of the rooms in the manufacturing setup of the unit, which led to the collapse of the roof. Many people got trapped under the debris, and rescue operations were launched immediately after the police received information about the incident. Deputy Superintendent of Police Jaspal Singh said five bodies had been recovered from the debris, and 29 injured individuals were rushed to AIIMS Bathinda and hospitals in Muktsar. Rescue teams were still on the scene, working to clear the rubble and search for survivors, if any. The exact cause of the blast is being worked out, but initial investigation suggests that the blast occurred from potash used in manufacturing crackers. Muktsar Deputy Commissioner Abhijit Kaplish told the media that no permission was granted to the manufacturing unit under the Explosives Rules of 2008. 'An application was made by the owners, but reports from different departments were pending, so no permission was granted,' he clarified. Scattered shoes, broken glass panes and vehicles were seen all over the accident spot, as rescuers were sifting through the rubble in search of survivors. Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal has demanded a probe into the incident and urged the government to promptly release adequate compensation to the victims' families. Describing the incident as unfortunate, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Khudian said the factory owner is a supporter of the AAP, but that does not permit anyone to engage in illegal activity. 'The law will take its own course,' he added.
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Delhi plans joint action with Punjab, Haryana to curb farm fires
The Delhi government has decided to engage with the state governments of Punjab and Haryana for joint action to control paddy stubble burning. Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Friday said he would seek to jointly meet the chief ministers of both states to formulate an action plan and dissuade farmers from burning stubble. Both states have, in the past, objected to the Delhi government placing the blame on them for smog formation in Capital in the months of October and November when paddy fields are cleared for the next crop. The Centre has spent over ₹3,200 crore on subsidised machinery since 2018 to check the menace, but little change was seen on ground as farmers continued to set fields on fire. 'All the states including Delhi, Haryana and Punjab are making efforts to curb pollution, but they are working in silos. A joint plan that covers the larger geographic area would bring good results,' said Sirsa. In 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab had proposed that ₹2,500 per acre should be given to farmers in the state to stop them from stubble burning. The Punjab government had sent the proposal to the commission for air quality management (CAQM), stating that Delhi and Punjab should give ₹500 each while the Centre should provide ₹1,500. The Centre had rejected the proposal, stating that cash incentives are already given to farmers under the crop residue management (CRM) plan. From 2018 to 2024, 1.49 lakh machines, costing ₹1,650 crore, were given to farmers in Punjab for in-situ management of paddy stubble. This year, a sum of ₹500 crore will be spent to provide 4,367 machines for in-situ management of paddy stubble and ₹300 crore for ex-situ management of stubble.
