BJP concerned over AAP lawmaker’s missive to DGP over ‘lawlessness’ in Punjab

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Chandigarh, July 29 (IANS) Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon on Wednesday slammed the state Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on the issue of law and order, citing the letter written by AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal to the Director General of Police (DGP).

Dhillon said the letter from the ruling party’s own MP has become the strongest evidence of the complete collapse of law and order in Punjab. Dhillon said this “is not an allegation made by the Opposition but the written testimony of a sitting member of Parliament from the ruling party itself, acknowledging that thefts, robberies and the drug menace have spiralled out of control in Punjab”.

He said that when an MP of the ruling party is compelled to write, “Send my gunmen back to the police station; the people need the police more than I do”, it amounts to the strongest possible indictment of the government’s failure.

The state BJP chief questioned Sant Seechewal, asking why he had to write to the DGP when his own party is in power in Punjab. He said this is a question that should instead be directed at Arvind Kejriwal, who, according to him, is running Punjab through remote control from Delhi.

Dhillon said the government has failed miserably and is trying to evade its responsibilities.

He further said the state’s law and order machinery has been severely weakened. Crime is rising every day; even police stations are no longer secure, attacks are taking place on political party offices, and incidents of murder, theft and robbery in broad daylight have become commonplace.

Under such circumstances, Dhillon said, Kejriwal, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the AAP government cannot escape accountability. He said governments function through effective administration and the rule of law, not through advertising campaigns alone.

Dhillon said the people of Punjab no longer want propaganda but seek security, peace, law and order, and an accountable government. He added only a Bharatiya Janata Party government can provide Punjab with a secure and safe environment.

–IANS

vg/uk

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DMK’s general council meeting dynastic drama, diversion tactic: Union Minister Murugan

Chennai, June 2 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs L. Murugan launched a scathing attack on the DMK following its general council meeting in Madurai, accusing the party of engaging in dynastic theatrics and diversionary tactics to mask its failures.

Calling the meeting a “coronation event”, Murugan alleged that the DMK had convened it primarily to reaffirm that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s son would inherit party leadership.

The DMK held its general council meeting on Sunday, where it adopted 27 resolutions.

“It was a political drama to promote the ‘prince’ and pacify second-tier leaders who act like local feudal lords,” he said.

The minister condemned the resolutions passed by the DMK, especially those criticising the Central government, calling them attempts to distract the public from the state government’s poor performance and deep-rooted corruption.

“This is classic boogeyman politics — when there’s nothing real to show, invent an enemy,” he said.

He accused the DMK of lacking moral standing to speak on caste-based census, education policy, or federalism. “What did they do when they were part of the UPA government? Nothing. Today, they raise hollow slogans while clinging to Congress, the very party that removed education from the state list,” he added.

Murugan also dismissed the DMK’s rhetoric on issues like the Waqf Act, Hindi imposition, and Katchatheevu, saying the party was using these topics to deflect attention from corruption investigations.

“If you’re innocent, why fear probes by the ED or IT? The law will take its course,” he said.

He questioned the credibility of the resolution to declare Karunanidhi’s birthday as Classical Tamil Day, arguing it reduced Tamil pride to a family legacy.

“To the DMK, Tamil Nadu is Karunanidhi Nadu,” he remarked.

Slamming the party for selective outrage, Murugan noted the DMK’s silence on sexual abuse cases in state institutions was selective. He concluded with a strong political message: “The people of Tamil Nadu are ready for change. In 2026, the AIADMK-BJP alliance will secure a historic victory and end this era of corrupt, dynastic rule.”

–IANS

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Air pollution dips to ‘very poor’ in Delhi-NCR ahead of Diwali

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR have turned into the ‘very poor’ category, raising serious public health concerns even before the Diwali festivities.

Data recorded on Thursday morning shows that air quality in several parts of Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Noida has deteriorated further, surpassing even some of the previous most polluted areas.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in many localities has breached the 300 mark, placing them in the “very poor” category. The AQI between 301 and 400 is considered very poor.

In Ghaziabad, Loni reported an AQI of 339, the highest in the entire region. Other areas like Vasundhara and Indirapuram recorded AQIs of 287, while Sanjay Nagar stood at 260.

In neighbouring Noida, the situation was equally alarming. Sector 125 reported an AQI of 358, Sector 116 recorded 334, Sector 1 was at 257, and Sector 62 registered 207.

Delhi, too, continued to battle thick pollution. Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 335, Wazirpur 337, Bawana 281, and Mundka 297 — all falling in the “poor” to “very poor” range.

While some parts of the capital showed marginally better air quality, the overall picture remains grim across the NCR.

In response to the worsening air quality, authorities have implemented the first phase of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which includes restrictions such as halting construction and demolition work and banning the use of diesel generators.

Officials warned that if pollution levels continue to rise, the second phase of GRAP, with more stringent curbs, could be enforced soon.

Experts have attributed the spike in pollution to high concentrations of ozone and PM10, both of which were identified as the major pollutants this month. Weather conditions such as low wind speed and temperature inversion also prevent pollutants from dispersing.

Health experts have issued a warning, stating that air quality in the “very poor” category can have serious health effects, especially for children, the elderly, and those with respiratory or cardiac conditions.

Citizens have been advised to minimize outdoor exposure, wear protective masks, and use air purifiers indoors.

With Diwali still a few days away, the toxic air has raised concerns among citizens.

Authorities have appealed to residents to strictly follow pollution-control measures and government advisories to cope with the rising pollution level in the city.

–IANS

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Errant pvt schools will face action for unfair fee hikes: Delhi CM Gupta

New Delhi, April 15 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday warned private schools of harsh consequences if they increase fee arbitrarily and vowed to issue notices to managements of all institutions which have allegedly hiked fee in violation of rules.

“Schools indulging in illegal activities will have to face the music,” said CM Gupta, confirming that parents have been complaining about some schools’ high-handedness.

“We have been getting complaints from parents. This is for sure that no school has a right to harass students or effect an enormous fee hike,” she said, adding that there were rules and regulations for increasing fees.

Schools will have to respond to our notices and, if found guilty of irregularities, they will have to face the consequences, she said.

CM Gupta’s warning to Delhi’s private schools comes close on the heels of Education Minister Ashish Sood ordering an audit of 1,677 institutions in the city.

Sood criticised the previous AAP-led administration in Delhi for alleged irregularities in auditing private schools and not acting against them for extraneous reasons.

He also released an email ID – ddeact1@gmail.com – on which parents will be able to lodge their complaints against arbitrary fee hikes by schools.

Slamming the previous government’s inaction against errant schools, Sood asked: “Why did the AAP government not lodge any complaint against errant schools?”

“The education department has no record of audit reports of any school related to the past 10 years,” he said.

“We will get cases registered and within 10 days we will upload information on our website about fee hikes allowed by the AAP government in the last 10 years,” said Sood.

He claimed a school caught committing an alleged fraud of Rs 15 crore was allowed to raise fees by 15 per cent and 13 per cent in two phases by the previous AAP government.

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva also assured parents that the Delhi government will strictly curb unfair fee hikes by private schools and order audits for all 1,650-plus private schools.

He alleged that former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and ex-CM Atishi have been using social media to spread confusion and lies about fee hikes by private schools.

“The AAP leaders are relentlessly trying to build a false political narrative against the BJP in Delhi. When their propaganda failed on issues like the Women’s Prosperity Scheme, Ayushman Bharat, and power cuts, they have now taken up the school fee hike issue for political mileage – but they will not succeed,” he said.

–IANS

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