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The AAP on Tuesday questioned the ruling BJP in Delhi over its promise to provide free cooking gas cylinders to women on the occasion of Holi. Addressing a press conference, senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi chief minister Atishi said that women in the capital are waiting for the BJP to fulfil its pre-poll promise. "I want to ask the BJP government and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta if they will fulfil their poll promise of providing free cooking gas cylinders to women in Delhi on Holi, or will it prove to be another gimmick like providing monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,500 to women," Atishi said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its manifesto for the February 5 Delhi Assembly polls promised to provide cooking gas cylinders to women from economically weaker sections for Rs 500 along with two refills free of charge on Holi and Diwali. The BJP government has approved a Mahila Samriddhi Yojana for providing Rs 2,500 monthly assistance to women from poor familie
Delhi Police on Tuesday sought setting aside of an order over the supply of list of documents to Bibhav Kumar, an aide of former CM Arvind Kejriwal, in the Swati Maliwal assault case. Justice Vikas Mahajan asked the Delhi Police counsel to submit a note on submissions and posted the hearing on March 11. The police challenged a January 29 order of a trial court which dismissed Delhi Police's plea against a magistrate's decision for the supply of the list of unrelied documents to Kumar. Delhi government standing counsel (criminal) Sanjay Lao, appearing for Delhi Police, said the order was bad in law. He said the Supreme Court was seized of the issue of supply of a list of unrelied documents to the accused in another case and the subordinate courts should await the decision. Lao submitted as of now, law on the issue was on both sides. He said the list of documents would provided to the accused once the apex court concluded in the affirmative. Justice Mahajan, however, said, "Someti
A Delhi court on Monday directed Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit to share documents related to his defamation suit with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Atishi and Sanjay Singh. Additional chief judicial magistrate Paras Dalal also directed the complainant to supply a copy of the pen drive containing the alleged defamatory statements to the respondents. The defamation suit claims that former chief minister Atishi and AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, during a press conference on December 26 last year, accused Dikshit of taking crores of rupees from the BJP, and the Congress of colluding with the saffron party to defeat the AAP. The lawsuit alleged that the two AAP leaders were "deliberately causing harm to Dikshit's goodwill." The court on January 16 issued a notice to Atishi and Singh based on the complaint. The case would come up on March 12.
The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday accused the BJP of "betraying" the women of Delhi by failing to fulfil its election promise of providing a monthly honorarium of Rs 2,500 to them. Addressing a press conference here, AAP legislator Kuldeep Kumar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his election rallies in Delhi, assured that the financial assistance scheme would be passed in the first Cabinet meeting of the new government. The BJP government had promised to launch the scheme by March 8 but it has not taken any steps in this regard, Kumar, the MLA from Kondli assembly segment, said. "It was not passed in the first Cabinet meeting. We thought if not in the Cabinet, it would be done in the assembly session. But instead of addressing this issue, BJP leaders spent the entire session abusing Arvind Kejriwal. They have betrayed the women of Delhi," Kumar said. The AAP MLA reminded the BJP of the timeline set by Modi himself and claimed that Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was set to break the
The Delhi government on Friday told the Supreme Court that it was going ahead with the implementation of the PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) scheme in the national capital. The submission was made before a bench of Justices B R Gavai and P K Mishra. The counsel appearing for the Delhi government sought to withdraw its plea challenging the December 24, 2024 direction of the Delhi High Court. The high court had asked the Delhi government to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Union health ministry by January 5 to implement the PM-ABHIM scheme. "We are going ahead with the implementation of the scheme so, therefore, now we want to withdraw this SLP (special leave petition)," the Delhi government's counsel told the apex court. The bench allowed the Delhi government's counsel to withdraw the petition. The BJP unseated the erstwhile Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government in Delhi in the recently concluded assembly elections. While hearing the ma
Delhi minister Parvesh Verma said an investigation will be initiated into the 'Sheesh Mahal' controversy to determine how much government money was used in renovating former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's official residence. The bungalow at 6, Flagstaff Road, used by Kejriwal while he was the CM, has been dubbed by the BJP as a "Sheesh Mahal". The BJP, which removed the AAP from power in Delhi earlier this month, has accused him of misusing public funds for "luxury additions" in the bungalow. Speaking to PTI on Thursday, Verma stated, "The lavish Chief Minister's office, built three years ago under the AAP government, will be investigated to determine how much money was spent on its reconstruction and on what basis officials granted permission for such expenses." "The Chief Minister's residence at 6 Flagstaff Road, dubbed 'Sheesh Mahal' by the BJP, will also be examined to assess how much money the previous government allocated for its renovation," said Verma, who defeated Kejriwa
The BJP-led Delhi government is set to table 14 pending Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) reports on the previous AAP government's performance in the Delhi Assembly on February 25. According to the BJP MLAs, the reports will be presented on the second day of the first session of the newly constituted eighth Delhi Assembly. The BJP has been alleging that the reports were withheld by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had announced last Thursday that the reports would be made public in the first session under the new government. The pending CAG audits include reviews of state finances, public health infrastructure, vehicular air pollution, liquor regulation and the functioning of the Delhi Transport Corporation, among others. The BJP had repeatedly demanded the release of these reports during the AAP's tenure, even moving the court to direct the government to table them. The saffron party had accused the AAP government of deliberat
The first session of the newly constituted Delhi Assembly commenced on Monday, marking the BJP's return to power after 26 years and its shift to the right side of the Speaker's chair. BJP MLA Arvinder Singh Lovely was sworn-in as the pro-tem Speaker and administered the oath by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena at the Raj Niwas before the session began. As the senior-most legislator, Lovely will oversee the swearing-in of all newly elected MLAs. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was the first to take the oath, followed by her six Cabinet ministers. The remaining MLAs were sworn in thereafter. The proceedings began with legislators singing Vande Mataram. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva was present in the Speaker's gallery to witness the session. The election for the new Speaker is set to take place later in the day, with BJP MLA Vijender Gupta likely to assume the position. The BJP secured a decisive victory in the February 5 Assembly elections, winning 48 of the 70 seats and .