Akali Dal alleges Kejriwal hiring cronies, running Punjab like East India Company
Shiromani Akali Dal strongly condemned the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government's move to clandestinely recruit 22 officials in the Punjab Development Commission (PDC) to run 10 key departments and said that AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal was trying to run Punjab like the East India company.In a statement, SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal said not only was the AAP high command taking over the entire governance by the formation of this illegal and unconstitutional Punjab Development Commission (PDC) but was also plundering Punjab's treasury by hiring outsiders at salaries ranging from Rs 3.30 lakh per month for advisors and Rs 2.65 lakh per month for digital/communication officers.advertisementHe disclosed that these departments include Agriculture, Jobs & Economy, Education and Skilling, Health and Social Welfare, Power, Infrastructure, Culture and Tourism, State Finances, Governance and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning.
He said that, shockingly, the notification omitted any requirement for Punjabi proficiency or preference for Punjabis, clearing the path for recruitment of AAP cronies. He said this was the same pattern of Delhi-based appointments of Punjab CM's advisors and chairpersons of corporations/boards, all loyal to AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal and his loyalist Manish Sisodia.Mr Badal said Puppet CM Bhagwant Mann who had already been stripped of all authority with key powers being transferred to the Chief Secretary, had completely surrendered Punjab to looters.'It is high time for Bhagwant Mann to step down or get ready to face strong protests, as in the name of 'Rangla Punjab', he is turning the State into Kangla Punjab'.He said Punjabis were watching every move by Delhi-based people who were acting as officials of the East India company and would give them a befitting reply in the 2027 elections.- EndsMust Watch
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United News of India
18 minutes ago
- United News of India
Op Sindoor: Army felicitates 25 civilians for exemplary contribution in Rajouri
Jammu, June 28 (UNI) The Indian Army today felicitated 25 civilians for their exemplary contribution during Operation Sindoor in the bordering Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu-based defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Suneel Bartwal here said that the Ace of Spades Division of the Indian Army conducted a felicitation ceremony at Rajouri and honoured brave civilians who played a pivotal role during Op Sindoor in restoring normalcy. The locals of Rajouri, Poonch, Mendhar, Krishna Ghati, Manjakote and Naushera facilitated casualty evacuation, humanitarian and rescue operations under challenging conditions, he added. The event was presided over by Major General Kaushik Mukherji, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Ace of Spades Division. A video was screened at the beginning showcasing the joint effort and contribution of armed forces and locals in the success of Operation Sindoor, followed by two-minute silence paying homage to those who laid down their lives, including ADDC Rajouri, Raj Kumar Thapa. In his address, the general officer highlighted that Op Sindoor was not merely a military operation but a national assertion that India will safeguard its citizens and dismantle threats and acts with definite resolve and precision. He commended all civilians for their exemplary contribution during Op Sindoor, offering critical support when the country needed it most, thus ensuring that the fabric of society was not broken. Support through constructing civilian bunkers, dual-use shelters, casualty evacuation, stockpiling essentials and conducting civil defence drills witnessed across Rajouri and Poonch districts was indeed commendable, he added. The locals who attended the event during informal interaction thanked the armed forces for their efforts during the operation and ensured continuous support in future endeavours. The general officer assured the gathering that the Indian armed forces will always stand by its resolve to maintain sovereignty and territorial integrity and continue to uphold the age-old bonhomie that exists between the Indian Army and civil populace. The event concluded with a reaffirmation of mutual trust and cooperation between the Indian armed forces and the local population, underscoring the shared commitment towards peace, security and national integrity, said the spokesman. Operation Sindoor was a military operation launched by the Indian armed F\\\\forces on the night of May 6-7, 2025, in response to a barbaric terrorist attack on civilians in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, where individuals were targeted based on their religion with an aim to fracture peaceful coexistence. A total of 27 civilians, including a local pony rider, were brutally killed by terrorists. The Indian armed forces carried out a firm, focused, calibrated and non-retaliatory response against terror launch pads all along the western border. During the initial strike, nine terror camps were destroyed. In response, the Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire all along the front, and when they received a befitting reply from the armed forces, the Pakistan Army targeted innocent civilians in the Rajouri and Poonch districts, resulting in 17 fatal casualties and around 50 injured locals, also affecting civil infrastructure, livelihoods and husbandry. Continuing with their rich tradition of bravery and patriotism, as has been demonstrated in earlier wars of 1948, 1965 and 1971, and undeterred by personal losses, the civilians of Rajouri and Poonch joined hands and worked tirelessly along with the armed forces and emerged victorious. UNI VBH ARN PRS
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
From 'heroine' to 'we gave you everything': MLA Lonikar not new to controversies
JALNA: BJP MLA and former Maharashtra minister Babanrao Lonikar, under flak for his "we gave you everything" remark, is no stranger to controversies, landing himself in legal trouble and BJP in a tight spot. He had not spared his political opponents as well as government officials. The latest row erupted after Lonkiar told a gathering of farmers in his assembly constituency Partur in Jalna district that "people who criticise his party and government should know they are getting clothes, shoes, mobile, monetary benefits of schemes and money for sowing because of us". Amid backlash, the former minister said he was ready to say sorry "100 times". In February 2020, Lonikar allegedly termed the local tehsildar a "heroine" at a public event. "If farmers want aid of Rs 25,000 from the government, we can organise the biggest rally in Marathwada with 25,000 to 50,000 people. If Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members agree, we can even call Devendra Fadnavis, Chandrakant Patil, and Sudhir Mungantiwar. You name it, even a heroine. If not, we have our tehsildar madam as the heroine," he had said. He had also allegedly abused an MSEDCL engineer after power supply to his bungalow in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was cut off over purported unpaid dues.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Ex-MP from Lakshadweep among three acquitted of charges in illegal fuel import case
A CBI court in Kochi Saturday acquitted former Lakshadweep MP and NCP national general secretary Mohammed Faisal and two others in a case pertaining to causing loss to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) by illegally importing fuel to the islands. The former MP is the ninth accused in the case, while others are P P Hussain Thangal and Beypore port head clerk Abdul Manaf. Faisal and Thangal are partners of Shebna Enterprises, which had a license to import essential commodities to the Lakshadweep. The case was registered in 2009, and the CBI had charged nine accused in 2011, under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. According to CBI, misusing the trade licence, the accused availed diesel from BPCL at subsidy rate and sold the fuel in the islands, causing a loss of Rs 1.4 crore for the public sector oil entity. Considering the shortage of essential commodities in the islands, the Kerala government had given a sales tax exemption of 20 per cent for supply to the Lakshadweep. Accordingly, the state had levied only 4 percent tax for items including diesel, to the islands. According to the CBI, diesel meant to Lakshadweep was illegally sold in Kerala itself, and the BPCL had failed to ensure that the supply reached the islands. Earlier, the court had acquitted six others, including BPCL officials. Advocate M J Santhosh appeared for the accused.
