Latest news with #JatinderPalMalhotra
Indian Express
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
BJP gets greater chunk in key standing committees under Chandigarh Administrator's Advisory Council
With the BJP getting a lion's share, the Chandigarh Administration has restructured its governance framework by forming 10 standing committees under the Administrator's Advisory Council. The newly constituted panels aim to strengthen policymaking and provide subject-specific recommendations to the UT Administrator. A significant tilt towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is evident in the appointments, with seven out of the ten committee chairpersons are from the party. The BJP's Chandigarh unit chief Jatinder Pal Malhotra will head the committee on education, joined by members such as Panjab University Vice-Chancellor Renu Vig and Chandigarh Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla. Senior BJP leader and former Haryana Assembly speaker Gian Chand Gupta has been appointed to lead the Environment Committee, which also includes Urvarshi Gulati, ex-chief secretary of Haryana. Dr Raj Bahadur, director, Regional Spinal Injury Centre, Mohali, will chair the health committee. Prominent members of this panel include former Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher and PGIMER Director Dr Vivek Lal. Congress MP Manish Tewari has been named chairman of the committee on art, culture, tourism, and heritage preservation. Other key members of this panel are Congress Chandigarh president H S Lucky, ex-mayor Devesh Moudgil, and Director of the North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala, Mohammad Furqan. Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu has been tasked with leading the committee on law and order, which includes former AAP mayor Kuldeep Kumar among its members. Senior BJP leader Sanjay Tandon, who also heads the UT Cricket Association, will chair the sports committee. In a notable appointment from the AAP, its city unit president Vijay Pal Singh will lead the committee on transportation. His team includes legal expert Chetan Mittal. Former mayor and BJP leader Anup Gupta will head the urban infrastructure and planning committee, while Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain will chair the social welfare committee. BJP's Subhash Chawla has been appointed to lead the peripheral area development committee. These committees will function for the duration of the current term of the Administrator's Advisory Council. Notably, no travel allowance or daily allowance (TA/DA) will be provided to members for attending committee meetings. Congress accuses UT administration of bias The Chandigarh Congress has lashed out at the UT administration over the constitution of standing committees, terming the process 'deeply partisan' and 'pro-BJP'. The party alleged that the nominations were finalised by the Administration as though 'sitting inside the BJP office.' Rajiv Sharma, chief spokesperson of the Chandigarh Congress, condemned the move, saying that the committees were formed not to serve the people but to fulfill the political ambitions of BJP leaders. 'It is shocking that such arbitrary and brazen favoritism has come from someone as seasoned as Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria,' Sharma said in a statement. He further alleged that Congress city president H S Lucky was unfairly denied chairmanship of any of the ten committees, despite his significant political role in the city. Similarly, MP Manish Tewari, who was entrusted with the committee on art, culture, tourism and heritage preservation, was deliberately assigned a relatively less impactful portfolio, he claimed. 'Tewari has been relentlessly working to restore the glory of the 'City Beautiful', which has been systematically eroded under the BJP-led Municipal Corporation and administration since 2014. By sidelining him and Lucky, the administration is clearly attempting to obstruct Congress's public-centric efforts,' Sharma said. He urged the administration to stop functioning as an extension of the BJP and instead begin reflecting the democratic will of the people. 'The residents of Chandigarh gave a clear mandate in the recent Lok Sabha elections by rejecting the BJP. It's time the administration acknowledged this and ensured real public representatives have a meaningful role in the city's governance,' Sharma added.
Hindustan Times
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh: NDA govt has done unprecedented work for welfare of poor: Anurag Thakur
Hamirpur MP and former Union minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday hailed BJP-led NDA government's achievements as it completed 11 years in power, while opposition parties lambasted the BJP for what they called 'failed promises' and 'misrule'. Addressing a press conference here, Thakur, accompanied by Chandigarh BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra, mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla, and state vice president Kailash Chand Jain, credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India's historic progress. Thakur said, 'Our borders are secure, and India has emerged as a rising global power. The mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas' has brought the country into the mainstream of development.' He highlighted that under Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army destroyed 9 terrorist camps and 11 airbases on Pakistani soil, showcasing India's strength to the world. 'In the past 11 years, the NDA government has done unprecedented work for the welfare of the poor and the common people. Schemes like PM Ujjwala Yojana, Jan Dhan, and Ayushman Bharat have transformed lives across the country,' Thakur said. 'Today marks the beginning of a people's movement connecting 140 crore Indians with the vision of a developed India by 2047,' he added. Chandigarh BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra outlined plans for door-to-door campaigns to mobilise public participation in this mission. Opposition slams BJP for 'misrule' Chandigarh Congress president HS Lucky termed the 11 years as a 'decade of betrayal' and said that the dreams sold in 2014 have turned into daily struggles for ordinary Indians. 'People trusted the promise of 'Achhe Din'. But instead of jobs, growth, and unity, the nation has endured record unemployment, rising prices, social unrest, and broken institutions. The government failed on every front, including jobs and economy, inflation, farmer crisis, institutional erosion, foreign failures and many more. Most of his promises remained unfulfilled including ₹15 lakh in every account, 2 crore jobs per year, smart cities, and the bullet train,' he said. Chandigarh Aam Aadmi Party president Vijaypal Singh said, 'The BJP's attempt to celebrate its 11-year rule as 'service, good governance, and welfare of the poor' is a grand scam based purely on false statistics, hollow slogans, and media propaganda. If there had been real development in the country, the BJP wouldn't need to beat the drum of its achievements so loudly. This is like a hollow house.'
