New Delhi: As the Delhi Assembly polls approach, allegations and counter-allegations from political parties in the Union Territory have intensified. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, in a social media post, made a sensational claim stating that the Delhi Police had reached Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s residence in Delhi to conduct a raid.

Attacking the BJP over the alleged incident, she said, “The BJP people are openly distributing money, shoes, and blankets in broad daylight—that doesn’t get noticed. Instead, they rush to raid the residence of an elected Chief Minister.”

“Wow, BJP! The people of Delhi will give their answer on the 5th (election day)!” she added.

Atishi’s post claiming a raid at Bhagwant Mann’s residence comes amid reports of massive security deployment outside Kapurthala House, the official residence of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann in Delhi.

Shortly after Atishi’s post, Returning Officer OP Pandey told media outside Mann’s residence, “We have got a complaint about money distribution. We have to dispose of the complaint in 100 minutes. Our FST had come here which was not allowed to enter. I have come here to request them to let us enter along with a cameraperson. The complaint of money distribution was received on the cVIGIL app.”

Notably, the police yesterday seized a large amount of cash and liquor have been seized from a car with a “Punjab government” sticker in Delhi. According to reports, AAP pamphlets were also found in the car.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit stated, “I wrote a letter to the LG about 25 days ago, informing him about Punjab-registered vehicles and Punjab Police bringing large amounts of money into Delhi. Today, that claim has been proven true. There is also information that Punjab Bhawan is being used as an office for the AAP. The police should raid Punjab Bhawan and investigate what is hidden inside its rooms.”

New Delhi, Jan 30: The Congress on Thursday promised enhanced educational and job opportunities for Muslim and other minority voters in Delhi after it comes to power in the February 5 Assembly election.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress MP Imran Masood hit out at the AAP government in Delhi for making hollow promises to minorities.

He said the Congress will take steps for the welfare of Muslims and minorities by implementing the UPA government’s 15-point programme based on Justice Rajinder Sachar committee report.

“The AAP was exposed during the CAA agitation and the Delhi riots in 2020,” he said, adding that minorities and the underprivileged have been at the receiving end ever since the AAP came to power in Delhi and the BJP came to power at the Centre.

He said the Congress manifesto for the Delhi Assembly election reflects its commitment to protect and uplift the minorities, to bring them into the mainstream by facilitating their progress through various schemes.

He said that both the AAP and the BJP had ignored and suppressed the interest of minorities for the past 10 years.

Masood said on coming to power in Delhi, the Congress will implement the Prime Minister’s 15-point action plan, drafted under the UPA government to implement the Sachar Committee report for the welfare of minorities.

The measures would include enhanced educational opportunities, equal participation in financial and employment opportunities, and prevention of communal violence and social unrest, he said.

He said that the Congress, on winning the Delhi Assembly election, will revive the Punjabi Academy, fund a Punjabi Chair in JNU and strengthen the Delhi SC/ST, Minority and Handicapped Development Finance Corporation so that these communities can get the lowest interest rate loans to start a business.

The Congress leader said that the party’s government will fill vacancies of Urdu, Punjabi and Bhojpuri teachers on a priority basis, establish a university in the name of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur and set up a Jain Welfare Board, convene the Delhi Waqf Board and ensure timely payments to Imams and Muezzins.

Voting to pick a new 70-member Delhi Assembly will take place on February 5. The result will be declared on February 8. The Congress, which ruled the city for 15 years between 1998 and 2013, has failed to win even a single Assembly seat in the last two Assembly polls in 2015 and 2020.

Kolkata, Jan 30: A trial court has slapped a show-cause on Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for procedural lapses in passing on information to the court about the West Bengal government’s nod for framing charges and trial process against former R.G. Kar principal Sandip Ghosh in the case related to financial irregularities in the institution.

On January 28, the CBI informed Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Tirthankar Ghosh about the clearance from the state government to start the charge-framing and trial process.

Now, the trial court has taken objection as to why the CBI has not informed the same court about the development.

It is learnt that the judge of the trial court has directed the Central agency to give a written explanation for why the same court was informed about it.

The CBI officials investigating the case received the no-objection certificate from the state government on the evening of January 27 and informed the Calcutta High Court about it the next day. On that day, CBI also submitted a report to the Calcutta High Court on the progress in the R.G. Kar financial irregularities case.

A single-judge bench of the Calcutta Court directed officials to complete the framing of charges and begin the trial process within a week.

Besides CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also conducting a parallel probe into the case.

While CBI started its investigation following an order by the Calcutta High Court, the ED made a suo motu entry to investigate the money laundering angle after filing an enforcement case information report (ECIR).

Altogether five persons, including Sandip Ghosh, his assistant-cum- bodyguard Afsar Ali, private contractors Biplab Sinha and Suman Hazra and a junior doctor Ashish Pandey, have been named by CBI and all are in judicial custody.

The main charges in the case include manipulation in the tendering process of R.G. Kar, getting infrastructure-related work done by private contractors bypassing the state Public Works Department against the hefty commission, smuggling of bio-medical wastes from the hospital outside and finally selling organs of the unidentified bodies sent to R. G. Kar morgue for post-mortem in the open market at premium prices.