New Delhi:

The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to direct a sitting of the state assembly for tabling several CAG reports on governance. Justice Sachin Datta, however, said there was an “inordinate delay” on part of the Delhi government in the matter.

The court underlined the tabling of the audit reports was mandatory under the Constitution. “The court is not inclined to accept the prayer of the petitioner to summon a special sitting of the assembly,” it held.

Opposition leader Vijender Gupta and BJP MLAs — Mohan Singh Bisht, Om Prakash Sharma, Ajay Kumar Mahawar, Abhay Verma, Anil Kumar Bajpai, and Jitendra Mahajan — filed the petition last year and sought a direction to the speaker to call a sitting of the assembly for tabling the CAG reports.

The petitioners filed the plea through advocates Neeraj and Satya Ranjan Swain.

The senior lawyers for the speaker and the government opposed the court passing such a direction and said there was no urgency to table the reports at a stage when the assembly elections were to be held soon. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The BJP’s manifesto for the upcoming Delhi elections met with sheer criticism from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with Arvind Kejriwal wondering why people should choose the BJP if it continues with the AAP’s welfare schemes. The BJP hit back at Mr Kejriwal saying he does not understand the difference between ‘revdi‘ (freebies) and development.

BJP chief and Union Minister JP Nadda today released the party’s first of the three-part ‘Sankalp Patra’, which he said has women’s welfare as its central theme. The party, which aims to dethrone AAP in Delhi after a decade, has promised financial assistance to women, young mothers, and senior citizens, besides subsidies on cylinders and more.

Taking a dig at the BJP’s manifesto, Mr Kejriwal sought to know if the promises had a go-ahead from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had on several instances targeted the AAP over freebies and called for ending the “revdi culture”.

Read: BJP Releases Manifesto For Delhi Polls, Announces Rs 21,000 For Pregnant Women

“Was permission taken from PM Modi before announcing free revdi? Our demand is that PM Modi should come forward and say that free revdi is not a loss for the country but God’s prasad, and that he was wrong and Kejriwal is right,” said Mr Kejriwal.

Referring to Mr Nadda’s remark that the BJP will carry forward the existing welfare schemes if it comes to power, Mr Kejriwal asked why the people should vote for them.

“BJP has openly accepted that Kejriwal is running many welfare schemes in Delhi which are benefiting the families of BJP members also. We don’t know how to do politics, we know how to work. And we do such work that even our opponents praise it,” he said in an online post.

“BJP does not have a “Sankalp Patra” but a “Kejriwal Patra” that they will continue all the schemes of Kejriwal in Delhi. BJP says – “Vote for BJP to do all the work that Kejriwal does.” All the work done by Kejriwal will be done better by Kejriwal himself, then why should anyone vote for BJP?” he added in another post.

Read: Cash, Cars, Savings: What Arvind Kejriwal, Parvesh Verma’s Affidavits Show

He also referred to “gang wars” in Delhi and said that the BJP did not care to add even a single line to the manifesto on improving the law-and-order situation.

Accusing the BJP of having no vision for Delhi, he said the party never fulfils its promises. “Tell us what work the BJP has done in the last 10 years? Their ‘Sankalp Patra’ is false,” asserted the AAP supremo.

Hitting back, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said that the AAP chief does not understand the difference between handing out freebies and empowerment. “Arvind babu, when you make promises, it seems you are handing out promises. When we talk about it, we talk about all-round development and empowerment. But you won’t understand it,” he said.

Releasing the manifesto, Mr Nadda had accused the AAP of corruption and said it neither fulfilled its promises in Delhi, nor in Punjab. He also called the AAP government’s flagship Mohalla Clinics “den of corruption”, vowing to probe the matter if his party comes to power.

New Delhi:

Once the election season heats up enough, even a retweet can spark a political firestorm. 

This is exactly what happened on Wednesday when Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh tore into the District Election Officer of New Delhi for resharing a post by BJP Delhi’s official handle on X (formerly Twitter) about a meeting between some of the party’s leaders and Election Commission officials.

Sharing a screenshot of the retweet, Mr Singh, in a post dripping with sarcasm, accused the District Election Officer (DEO) of bias and said the officer would formally join the BJP and campaign for the party. The DEO clarified that the social media handle is managed by an officer from the social media cell, who had reposted the tweet “inadvertently” and has been replaced.

In his post on X, Mr Singh wrote in Hindi, “A first in the history of India – the Election Officer of New Delhi has started retweeting BJP’s tweets secretly. Now the District Election Officer of New Delhi Legislative Assembly is saying “When you love, what is there to fear?” (‘jab pyaar kiya to darna kya‘).” 

“The District Election Officer has now decided to join the BJP and campaign openly. Tomorrow at 11 am, the District Election Officer will formally join the BJP at the BJP office,” he sneered.

Leaders from the AAP and the BJP have been meeting officials from the Election Commission frequently – often to complain against the other party – ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, which are scheduled to be held on February 5. The post by BJP Delhi retweeted by the DEO’s handle was about the party’s Delhi President Virendra Sachdeva, MP Bansuri Swaraj and others meeting Election Commission officials on Tuesday. 

‘Officer Replaced’

Replying to the AAP Rajya Sabha MP’s post, the DEO clarified that the repost was immediately undone as soon as it was brought to light and that the social media cell has been directed to exercise caution. 

“The DEO’s official social media handle is managed by the Nodal Officer, Social Media Cell, who is responsible for posting replies and addressing tweets, particularly to counter misinformation and ensure accurate communication with the public. It has come to light that this particular tweet was inadvertently reposted while replying to the said tweet as part of routine engagement with social media content. The repost was immediately undone as soon as it was brought to the notice of the DEO,” the DEO’s handle posted.

The poll officer said the nodal officer of the social media cell has been replaced to ensure accountability and ensure the incident is not repeated. 

“Additionally, the Social Media Cell has been directed to exercise greater caution in future engagements to maintain the integrity and impartiality of the DEO’s social media communications. This clarification is issued to reaffirm the DEO’s commitment to impartiality and adherence to the guidelines laid down by the Election Commission of India,” the post said. 

Earlier Row

Mr Singh’s dig at the District Election Officer came hours after the Aam Aadmi Party had accused the Election Commission of remaining mum while the BJP’s Parvesh Verma, who is contesting against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal from the New Delhi Assembly constituency, distributed shoes to voters. 

The returning officer of the constituency had then filed a complaint with the police and a case was registered against Mr Verma for violating the Model Code of Conduct. 

New Delhi:

The BJP today escalated its attack on AAP following findings from a leaked Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report regarding the city’s controversial excise policy. Questioning the authenticity of the report, AAP leader Sanjay Singh asked whether the alleged findings were made at the BJP office. 

The report, which allegedly outlines major lapses and violations under the leadership of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, has triggered a fresh row ahead of the February 5 Delhi Assembly elections. 

The CAG report has not been officially released. 

The purported CAG report, parts of which have reached the public domain, alleges that the Delhi government’s Excise Policy caused a loss of over Rs 2,026 crore to the state including Rs 890 crore due to the failure to re-tender surrendered retail liquor licenses. An additional loss of Rs 941 crore allegedly stemmed from exemptions granted to zonal licensees. 

Key approvals from the Lieutenant Governor (LG), the Cabinet, and the Assembly were allegedly bypassed. The report further claims that the Group of Ministers (GoM) led by Manish Sisodia ignored recommendations from an expert panel.

The BJP has seized on the alleged findings, accusing the AAP government of gross corruption and mismanagement. 

“If their (AAP) policies were so good then why were they taken aback? Today AAP has no answer to Delhi’s broken roads, dirty water in homes, rising electricity bills, mountains of garbage and pollution. Today the people of Delhi want to be free from ‘AAP-da’,” BJP leader Anurag Thakur said. 

AAP MP Sanjay Singh questioned the authenticity of the purported report.

“Where is the CAG report? Do you have a copy? Is it made at the BJP office? The BJP is scared. They have become mentally unstable. We cannot respond to everything. On one hand, they are saying the CAG report has not been tabled, but on the other, they say it has been released. What do they mean?” Mr Singh asked. 

The Congress has also joined the attack. Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav criticised the delay in tabling the CAG report in the Assembly, alleging that this indicated a deal between the BJP and AAP to suppress the report. Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit called the policy a “clear scam” and accused the Kejriwal government of draining government funds. 

New Delhi:

The AAP’s charges against the BJP over alleged changes in the electoral rolls a month before the polls and against BJP leader Parvesh Verma have led to a fresh showdown between the two parties vying for power in the national capital.

The Election Commission yesterday ordered a probe by its chief electoral officer in Delhi after a delegation led by Chief Minister Atishi filed a complaint against Mr Verma, who is contesting against Arvind Kejriwal from the New Delhi seat.

Hitting back on Friday, Mr Verma said he was open to any investigation and that his only aim is to defeat Mr Kejriwal.

“The AAP did nothing in 11 years. They didn’t listen to the people’s perils. AAP did not give out jobs in the last 11 years. They are scared of losing,” he said.

On AAP’s allegations of violating the Model Code, he said he had only asked the companies he knew to meet those looking for jobs in his constituency. Claiming he did not ask for votes for giving jobs, he asked, “What problem does Mr Kejriwal have if some people get jobs?”

Showdown Over ‘Purvanchal’ Remarks

Mr Kejriwal’s remarks that the BJP was bringing people from Bihar and UP to create “fake votes” sparked protests earlier in the day after the BJP accused him of insulting those from Purvanchal. Responding to the allegations, he said only the AAP has given a life of dignity to Purvanchali voters.

“I had gone to the Election Commission to highlight that under the garb of Rohingya and Bangladeshis, they are deleting names of Purvanchali voters. But, in turn, they are leveling baseless charges against me. If there is a party that has respected and given a life of dignity to people from Purvanchal in Delhi, it is the AAP,” said Mr Kejriwal today.

Continuing his tirade against the BJP, he said the BJP has not done enough for the Purvanchalis living in Delhi.

“People from Purvanchal who come here live in Kachhi Colonies. Before 2014, it was difficult to live in these colonies. There was no development. More than 90% of the people in these colonies are from Purvanchal. I want to ask the BJP, what have you done for slums in the last 10 years?” asked the former chief minister.

New Delhi:

The BJP and AAP have launched aggressive poster campaigns against each other to sway public sentiment ahead of the Delhi assembly elections. The BJP alleged that AAP is resorting to voter fraud in a bid to retain power. 

The party shared a poster of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that multiple fraudulent voter entries, ranging from ages 40 to 80, were registered at a single address without the homeowner’s knowledge. BJP described this as “a new game by Kejriwal to rig votes.”

दिल्ली में केजरीवाल का नया खेल! वोटों का फर्जीवाड़ा करके सत्ता बचाने की कोशिश।

मकान मालिक को नहीं पता और उसके घर के पते पर सैंकड़ों वोट बना दिया था इस ठग ने वो भी एक विशेष समुदाय का (और नये वोटर की उम्र – 40 साल से लेकर 80 साल तक)#AAP_के_फर्जी_वोटर pic.twitter.com/xt11LKFFPH

— BJP Delhi (@BJP4Delhi) January 2, 2025

AAP countered with a video poster of Mr Kejriwal labelled “GOAT” (Greatest of All Time).

G.O.A.T. pic.twitter.com/RoNdSZGXFb

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) January 2, 2025

Mr Kejriwal yesterday accused the BJP of hypocrisy, claiming that while the party opposes honorariums for religious leaders, it simultaneously pushes for temple demolitions.

“People are angry,” Mr Kejriwal said in a post on X. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi expanded on these claims, stating that the BJP-led central government had empowered the Lieutenant Governor (LG) to order temple demolitions without consulting the elected Delhi government.

Atishi alleged that on November 22, the Religious Committee, which now reports directly to the Lt Governor, approved the demolition of temples in areas such as West Patel Nagar, Dilshad Garden, and Sultanpuri, along with a Buddhist temple in Sundar Nagari.

“The BJP’s dual face is clear. They claim to protect Hinduism but work to destroy temples,” Atishi said during a press conference. 

The BJP responded with a list of unmet promises by the AAP government. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused Mr Kejriwal of failing to address critical issues like clean water, women’s safety, slum rehabilitation, pollution, and the cleaning of the Yamuna River.

“Instead of solving these problems, Kejriwal’s government has done nothing,” Mr Trivedi said. He claimed that while the BJP, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has brought credibility to politics, AAP has done the opposite.

Another BJP leader, MP Praveen Khandelwal, dismissed AAP’s recent announcements, including honorariums for priests and granthis, as political gimmicks. “The Delhi treasury is empty. Kejriwal only makes announcements to gain electoral benefits,” Mr Khandelwal remarked.
 

New Delhi:

The controversy over the Delhi Chief Minister’s bungalow – once occupied by Arvind Kejriwal – has intensified ahead of the assembly polls in the national capital. The BJP has been referring to the 6 Flag Staff Road bungalow as “sheesh mahal” – or palace of mirrors, which denotes opulence or luxury.

“We have been telling you the truth about the glass palace of debauchery of the person who calls himself a common man @ArvindKejriwal, today we will show it to you too! He has built a 7-Star Resort for himself by embezzling public money!” Delhi BJP president Virendraa Sachdeva said in an online post.

खुद को आम आदमी कहने वाले @ArvindKejriwal की अय्याशी के शीशमहल की सच्चाई हम बताते आए हैं , आज आपको दिखायेंगे भी!
जनता के पैसे खाकर अपने लिए 7-Star Resort का निर्माण करवाया है!
शानदार Gym-Sauna Room-Jacuzzi की कीमत!
• Marble Granite Lighting→ ₹ 1.9 Cr.
•Installation-Civil… pic.twitter.com/QReaeNMRQ8

— Virendraa Sachdeva (@Virend_Sachdeva) December 10, 2024

He pegged the cost of the bungalow at a whopping Rs 3.75 crore, equipped with a gym, sauna room and a jacuzzi. The bungalow had marble granite lighting done at a cost of Rs 1.9 crore while civil work needed another Rs 1.5 crore, his post suggested, adding that the gym and spa fitting alone cost Rs 35 lakh.

The mention of the price was a jibe at the AAP supremo’s ‘aam aadmi’ tagline and his claim of living life as a common man. “How those who swear on their children and falsely promise not to take government house, car, security are looting the money of Delhi’s taxpayers,” the BJP leader said.

“Meanwhile, the common man of Delhi, DDA’s 34 EWS Flat, or 15 LIG Flat, or, 150 CNG Auto, or 326 E-Rickshaw can buy it! red of corruption Wow Kejriwal!! Nothing else to say!!” the post added.

The AAP rejected the allegations as “baseless propaganda” with Manish Sisodia, former deputy chief minister, accusing the BJP of trying to deflect attention from the pressing issues.

“Instead of answering critical questions about mismanagement of funds for schools, mid-day meals, and hospitals in states like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, they focus on Kejriwal’s former official residence. People ask about education and health reforms, they talk about a bungalow,” said the AAP leader.

The BJP has been accusing Mr Kejriwal of multiple irregularities in the renovation of the official residence when he was in the top post. Earlier this year, the Delhi opposition party had said the AAP spent over Rs 45 crore taxpayers’ money on the renovations, betraying the promise of “simple living” that he had made while entering politics.

In September, the CBI initiated a probe into the alleged violation of tender rules during the bungalow’s construction. A regular case was not filed, awaiting sufficient details from the inquiry.

The AAP had accused the BJP of trying to destroy the party led by Mr Kejriwal “using all its strength”. Mr Kejriwal too had dismissed the allegations and welcomed any probe into the bungalow’s renovation. But, he said, they would find no evidence of any illegal activity.

New Delhi:

The BJP on Friday likened Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s alleged role in the excise case to a playback singer who is not seen on the screen but is the voice in the song and said his attack on the ruling party is a case of pot calling the kettle black.

BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi rejected Mr Kejriwal’s claim of innocence and said a trail of corruption money has been established by the investigators.

His counterattack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader came after Mr Kejriwal claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted that the excise policy case is wrong.

PM Modi had, in an interview, described Mr Kejriwal as an “experienced thief”, claiming that as an ex-IRS officer he knew how probe agencies work and had tried to cover his tracks in the case.

Mr Trivedi said the money trail has demonstrated which companies have benefited from Mr Kejriwal government’s policies.

The BJP leader noted that even the court has acknowledged this on numerous occasions. This is why he was in jail, he said.

“In Goa, the AAP candidates have admitted that they have received money and suspiciously the money has come from the same sources that have been considered beneficiaries,” he said.

Mr Trivedi said Mr Kejriwal is the only chief minister in the history of India who has not resigned from his post even after going to jail.

Although the judiciary gave him interim bail to join the election campaign under specific conditions, including refraining from commenting on his case, but the way he is promoting his case with misleading and confusing propaganda is not surprising, he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Delhi unit of BJP has sent a defamation notice to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and minister Atishi after she alleged that the BJP approached her with a request to switch over. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva told the media today that they have sent the notice and demanded a public apology from Ms Atishi.

“Atishi failed to provide evidence of who approached her, how and when. The AAP is undergoing a crisis in Delhi, which is why they are making such baseless allegations out of frustration. But we will not let her get away with this,” he said.

In a press meet yesterday, Ms Atishi said, “The BJP has approached me through someone very close. They have asked me to join the BJP and said this will save my political career. They have threatened that if I don’t switch over, ED (Enforcement Directorate) will arrest me within a month.”

She also claimed that she and three other AAP leaders — Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, AAP MP Raghav Chadha and party MLA Durgesh Pathak — may be arrested over the next couple of months.

She said the person who approached her on behalf of the BJP had said the ruling party had “made up its mind on crushing everyone in AAP”.

“First, they put everyone in AAP’s leadership in jail. Satyendra Jain, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and now Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have been arrested. The BJP’s plan is to arrest four more AAP leaders in the next two months. They will arrest me, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Durgesh Pathak and Raghav Chadha,” she said. Sanjay Singh has been granted bail and will be released today. 

Mr Sachdeva today dared the Delhi minister to submit her phone to an investigation agency to prove her claims.

The Delhi BJP’s lawyer said the party has sent a defamation notice to Atishi to withdraw her statement, which he termed “false, defamatory, and concocted”. If she cannot prove her claim, they will take more legal steps, the lawyer said.

New Delhi:

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday launched a social media campaign asking people to support it for saving the constitution and democracy in the country.

Delhi minister and senior AAP leader Atishi addressed a press conference here to launch the social media “DP (display picture) campaign”, urging people to join in.

She said that all AAP leaders and volunteers will change their profile picture on X, Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media accounts with the new one showing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal behind the bars captioned “Modi Ka Sabse Bada Dar Kejriwal”.

Mr Kejriwal is the only leader in the country who can challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi so he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate without any evidence just after the announcement of Lok Sabha polls, Atishi said.

She claimed the ED could not produce even “one Paisa” of evidence despite its two-year-long probe into the alleged excise scam .

She alleged that the BJP and Modi want to crush Kejriwal and added that the AAP was waging a battle against “dictatorship” in the country.

She urged people to join the social media DP campaign of the party saying saving the democracy and the Constitution was not just Kejriwal’s fight.

Mr Kejriwal was arrested by the ED in connection with the money laundering case linked to now scrapped excise policy of his government on Thursday last week. He is in custody of the agency till March 28.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)