Latest news with #ArvindKejriwal-led
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
Arvind Kejriwal-Led AAP Officially Exists INDIA Bloc: ‘Only Till Lok Sabha Polls…'
Last Updated: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) distanced itself from the INDIA bloc on Friday, saying it is not part of the opposition alliance anymore. Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has officially exited the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc on Friday. Party's senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Friday said that the AAP is not part of the opposition alliance anymore and will also not participate in the alliance's meeting scheduled ahead of the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament which will begin on Monday. Singh said that the INDIA bloc was formed only for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and the party has contested all subsequent assembly polls independently. AAP and Congress had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections together in Delhi under the INDIA bloc. However, the two parties went solo in both the Haryana and Delhi assembly polls. 'The AAP has cleared its stand. The INDIA bloc was for the (2024) Lok Sabha polls. We fought the Delhi and Haryana Assembly polls on our own. We are going to fight the Bihar election solo. We fought the bypolls in Punjab and Gujarat all by ourselves. The AAP is not part of the INDIA," the Rajya Sabha MP said as quoted by news agency PTI. The AAP leader, however, said that the party will maintain strategic alliances with opposition parties within the parliament. He said, 'On Parliamentary issues, we do take the support of opposition parties such as the TMC and DMK. And so do they take our support. We have always played the role of a strong and powerful opposition and will do so," he added. Meanwhile, the AAP leader questioned the Congress' role in leading the opposition bloc. 'It is not child's play. Did they hold any meeting after the Lok Sabha polls? Was there any initiative to expand the INDIA bloc? Sometimes they criticise Akhilesh Yadav, sometimes Uddhav Thackeray and sometimes Mamata Banerjee. The INDIA should have been united. The Congress is the biggest party of the bloc. But did it play a role (in ensuring opposition unity)?" he asked. The month-long Monsoon Session of Parliament is set to commence on July 21. Ahead of the session, a meeting of the leaders of the INDIA bloc parties will be held online on Saturday evening to discuss the prevailing political situation in the country. It will be held after a long gap since the constituents of the INDIA last deliberated on the country's political situation jointly. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
NDTV
03-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Probe Agency Questions AAP Leader Satyendar Jain In Delhi Jal Board Sewage Plant Case
New Delhi: Former Delhi minister and AAP leader Satyendar Jain appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday for questioning in a money laundering case linked to alleged corruption in the augmentation of some Delhi Jal Board sewage treatment plants, official sources said. Satyendar Jain, 60, reached the federal probe agency's office here around 11:15 am and his statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) politician has held portfolios like Health, Industries, Power, Public Works Department, Home and Urban Development in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government. This is the third money laundering investigation in which ED is probing the role of Satyendar Jain. He was arrested by the agency in 2022 and later chargesheeted in an alleged hawala transactions and possession of disproportionate assets case. Recently, the ED booked him in an alleged classroom construction scam case along with former deputy CM and AAP leader Manish Sisodia. The investigation in the latest case pertains to allegations of corruption in the augmentation of some sewage treatment plants by the Delhi Jal Board. The ED had conducted searches in this case in July last year. The money laundering probe stems from an FIR of the Delhi government anti-corruption branch (ACB) against a Hyderabad based company named Euroteck Environmental Pvt Ltd. and others alleging a scam in the DJB in the name of augmentation and upgradation of 10 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) at Pappankala, Nilothi, Najafgarh, Keshopur, Coronation Pillar, Narela, Rohini and Kondli. According to the ACB, only three JV companies participated in the four tenders issued. These four tenders valued at Rs 1,943 crore were awarded to various joint venture (JV) entities in October, 2022. It said, as per the ED, the tendering conditions were made "restrictive" including adoption of IFAS ((Integrated Fixed-film Activated Sludge) technology to ensure that a select few entities could participate in the four tenders. The verification of the tender documents shows that the initial cost of four tenders was about Rs 1,546 crore, which was revised to Rs 1,943 crore without following due process/project reports, according to the ED. The contracts were awarded to three JVs at "inflated" rates which caused "substantive" loss to the exchequer and all the JVs sub-contracted the work related to the four tenders to the Hyderabad company, the agency claimed.
The Print
09-06-2025
- Business
- The Print
‘Only BS6 commercial vehicles to be allowed in capital from 1 November,' says Delhi environment minister
From BS6 vehicle enforcement to legacy landfill processing and EV adoption, Sirsa outlined a list of initiatives aimed at cleaning up Delhi's air, while simultaneously hitting out at the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP for 'vanishing when the work got tough'. In an interview with ThePrint, Sirsa said May 2025 was the cleanest in a decade, except the COVID years, and credited the improvement to the BJP's 'ground-level governance' rather than what he called the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) 'PR-heavy, policy-light' approach. New Delhi: Garbage mountains will go extinct like dinosaurs, electric buses will replace polluting vehicles and dust clouds over Delhi will finally clear—at least that's what Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa claims, 100 days into the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) rule in the capital. 'May was the cleanest in 10 years. Thirty percent of pollution in Delhi comes from dust, and we are addressing that directly. Industrial areas, malls, construction sites, all are now monitored and registered with the Pollution Control Board,' Sirsa said. 'They looted Delhi for 10 years and ran to Punjab when they lost control. Like a fish without water, Kejriwal cannot survive without power,' he added. The Delhi minister said the current administration had launched multiple layers of intervention to tackle pollution, from sprinklers and mechanical sweepers to air quality tracking and construction regulation. According to Sirsa, tenders have been floated to deploy 1,000 water sprinklers and sweep all PWD roads using mechanical sweepers. The EV transition is a cornerstone of the BJP's pollution plan, he said, with hundreds of electric buses already added to the fleet and thousands of public charging stations installed. 'By year-end, our target is 100 percent electric public transport.' From 1 November, only BS6-compliant commercial vehicles will be allowed to enter the capital. 'End-of-life vehicles from neighbouring states will be flagged at the borders and turned away using ANPR cameras. They will even get a WhatsApp alert,' he added. 'Rs 60 crore spent on publicity, not pollution' Sirsa took a dig at the AAP's much-publicised odd-even scheme, calling it 'a drama'. 'They spent Rs 60 crore promoting it. If even half of that had been used to clean roads, we'd have had less dust,' he said. Sirsa said the government had already cleared 50–60 lakh tonnes of legacy waste and reduced the height of garbage mountains by up to 20 metres at key landfill sites. 'We used inert waste for construction and combustible waste for fuel. By 2028, these landfills will be gone. People say dinosaurs can only be seen in photos—same with garbage mountains,' he said. Regarding the Yamuna river, Sirsa claimed earlier clean-up efforts initiated by the lieutenant governor were stalled by court orders, allegedly under pressure from the AAP. 'Tapping of sewage drains is underway. We're processing the sewage before it enters the river. The Haryana government is helping, too. It won't be instant, but the work has started,' he said. Responding to criticism over delays in implementing the BJP's poll promise of monthly financial aid to women, Sirsa said Rs 5,100 crore had already been allocated. 'Our commitment is not to the opposition. It is to our sisters. They will get the Rs 2,500 per month directly into their accounts,' he said, accusing the AAP of failing to deliver even Rs 1,000 in Punjab. Also Read: What's making Delhi air deadlier 'From looting Delhi to looting Punjab' Sirsa reserved his strongest words for Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of abandoning Delhi after electoral setbacks. 'Kejriwal cannot live without power. The day he lost Delhi, he fled to Punjab. Manish Sisodia, a defeated MLA, is sitting in Punjab's cabinet. They've turned governance into a side business,' he said. 'They looted Delhi for years. Now they're pillaging Punjab through unelected aides.' On Punjab, Sirsa said the BJP was moving beyond traditional vote-bank politics and focusing on grassroots engagement with farmers, traders and landowners. 'We've returned to power in Delhi after 27 years, and we've earned the trust of every class, every community,' said Sirsa. 'In Punjab, too, our approach isn't driven by caste or vote-bank arithmetic. We're not targeting one group; we're reaching out to all.' According to Sirsa, the BJP's focus in Punjab is direct grassroots engagement. 'We're speaking to farmers, landowners, traders—people who've long felt unheard. Our goal is simple: talk to them, understand their issues, and solve their problems without middlemen or theatrics,' he said. 'Yes, the Akali Dal was our alliance partner,' Sirsa acknowledged. 'They brought in the rural and Sikh vote, while the BJP focused on the urban and non-Sikh segments. That was the electoral arithmetic then.' But with alliances shifting and political loyalties in flux, Sirsa argued that the BJP is no longer dependent on coalition math. 'We've only contested one or two elections on our own. Even in our very first outing, we won three seats. Then came the Lok Sabha elections, and we won 32 (seats).' Elections are due in the northern state in 2027. Positioning the BJP as a serious alternative to both AAP and Congress in Punjab, Sirsa added: 'Unlike the AAP's photo-op politics or Congress's legacy of inaction, we've built a grassroots network. Based on that, we're confident of winning 50, maybe 55 seats, and forming a stable government.' He framed the party's pitch as one of governance over gimmicks. 'Punjab has tried both the AAP and the Congress. What has it got? Broken promises, drug cartels, and visible collapse. The BJP offers law, order and delivery; that's our difference,' he said. He also claimed that the drug crisis in the state had reached 'every household' and accused the police of complicity. 'If the BJP gets even one chance in Punjab, we'll clean it up, just like we've done in UP and Gujarat,' Sirsa said. (Edited by Sugita Katyal) Also Read: Don't misdiagnose AAP defeat in Delhi election results. It will be fatal to democracy
Mint
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
BJP spent ₹57 cr on Delhi polls, 68% went to ‘party propaganda'
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spent ₹ 57.65 crore on electioneering in Delhi polls 2025, according to the expenditure report filed by the saffron party with the Election Commission of India. This is about 40 per cent more than ₹ 41.06 crore that the party party spent on Delhi elections five years ago in 2020. With 48 of the 70 seats, the BJP returned to power in Delhi after 27 years ending the ten-year-rule of Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the elections held in February this year. The AAP finished second with 22 seats while the Congress drew blank for the third straight election in the national capital. The saffron party spent ₹ 18.5 crore on 68 candidates — including ₹ 25 lakh to each of them – according to the election expenditure report available on the ECI website. The party had earlier submitted part expenditure report. However, the complete details were made available on the ECI website on 26 May, Monday. The AAP spent ₹ 14.5 crore on campaigning during the Delhi Assembly elections while the Congress party spent ₹ 46.18 crore, according to the expenditure reports filed by the two parties earlier. A candidate can spend up to ₹ 40 lakh for campaigning during assembly elections,and a party can spend as much for a seat. The expenditure by the parties doesn't reflect the money spent by candidates during elections. The BJP party spent ₹39.14 crore on 'general party propaganda,' according to the expenditure report. Of this ₹29 crore was spent on media advertising. While ₹1.18 crore went to DB Corp, which publishes Danik Bhaskar, ₹11.8 lakh to Bharat Prakashan, which publishes Organiser and Panchjanya, the mouthpiece of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), widely regarded as political mentor of the BJP. All parties have to sumit election expenditure details before the Election Commission of India. The BJP party spent ₹ 39.14 crore on 'general party propaganda,' according to the expenditure report. Of this, ₹ 29 crore was spent on media advertising. While ₹ 1.18 crore went to DB Corp, which publishes Danik Bhaskar, ₹ 11.8 lakh to Bharat Prakashan, which publishes Organiser and Panchjanya, the mouthpiece of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), widely regarded as political mentor of the BJP. About ₹ 9.44 lakh were spent on publicity in Aadhyaasi Media, and Kovai Media, which publish OpIndia, Swarajya respectively. Another ₹ 1.18 crore was paid to One97 Communications, which owns Paytm, a digital and financial services technology company, according to the expenditure report . The BJP spent ₹39.14 crore on 'general party propaganda'. The BJP's Delhi unit began the 2025 Delhi Assembly Election with a balance of ₹ 89.92 crore and received an additional ₹ 93.42 lakh during the election period and ended the polls with a balance of ₹ 91.1 crore, as per the report. The BJP's Delhi state unit spent more than ₹ 25 crore in advertisements.
Mint
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
BJP spent ₹57 cr on Delhi polls, 68% went to ‘party propaganda'
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spent ₹ 57.65 crore on electioneering in Delhi polls 2025, according to the expenditure report filed by the saffron party with the Election Commission of India. This is about 40 per cent more than ₹ 41.06 crore that the party party spent on Delhi elections five years ago in 2020. With 48 of the 70 seats, the BJP returned to power in Delhi after 27 years ending the ten-year-rule of Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the elections held in February this year. The AAP finished second with 22 seats while the Congress drew blank for the third straight election in the national capital. The saffron party spent ₹ 18.5 crore on 68 candidates — including ₹ 25 lakh to each of them – according to the election expenditure report available on the ECI website. The party had earlier submitted part expenditure report. However, the complete details were made available on the ECI website on 26 May, Monday. The AAP spent ₹ 14.5 crore on campaigning during the Delhi Assembly elections while the Congress party spent ₹ 46.18 crore, according to the expenditure reports filed by the two parties earlier. A candidate can spend up to ₹ 40 lakh for campaigning during assembly elections,and a party can spend as much for a seat. The expenditure by the parties doesn't reflect the money spent by candidates during elections. The BJP party spent ₹ 39.14 crore on 'general party propaganda,' according to the expenditure report. Of this ₹ 29 crore was spent on media advertising. While ₹ 1.18 crore went to DB Corp, which publishes Danik Bhaskar, ₹ 11.8 lakh to Bharat Prakashan, which publishes Organiser and Panchjanya, the mouthpiece of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), widely regarded as political mentor of the BJP. All parties have to sumit election expenditure details before the Election Commission of India. The BJP party spent ₹ 39.14 crore on 'general party propaganda,' according to the expenditure report. Of this, ₹ 29 crore was spent on media advertising. While ₹ 1.18 crore went to DB Corp, which publishes Danik Bhaskar, ₹ 11.8 lakh to Bharat Prakashan, which publishes Organiser and Panchjanya, the mouthpiece of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), widely regarded as political mentor of the BJP. About ₹ 9.44 lakh were spent on publicity in Aadhyaasi Media, and Kovai Media, which publish OpIndia, Swarajya respectively. Another ₹ 1.18 crore was paid to One97 Communications, which owns Paytm, a digital and financial services technology company, according to the expenditure report . The BJP spent ₹39.14 crore on 'general party propaganda'. The BJP's Delhi unit began the 2025 Delhi Assembly Election with a balance of ₹ 89.92 crore and received an additional ₹ 93.42 lakh during the election period and ended the polls with a balance of ₹ 91.1 crore, as per the report. The BJP's Delhi state unit spent more than ₹ 25 crore in advertisements. This is about 40 percent more than the ₹41.06 crore that the party spent on Delhi elections five years ago.
