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Kejriwal wants to control Punjab, be undercover CM: Oppn parties

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Chandigarh, Feb 26: As the buzz over Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s entry into Rajya Sabha through nomination intensified after the party on Wednesday announced that it would field its MP Sanjeev Arora in the Ludhiana (West) Assembly bypoll, Opposition parties in Punjab trained guns on the party.

They said, “Kejriwal wants to control the state by becoming the undercover Chief Minister.”

“Once again, Punjab has been made to surrender before Delhi,” they added.

However, AAP leaders denied Kejriwal was opting for the Rajya Sabha route.

Congress legislator Sukhpal Singh Khaira claimed that Kejriwal would replace Arora in the Upper House.

“If Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora is nominated as AAP candidate for the Ludhiana (West) bypoll, I am sure Arvind Kejriwal will take his Rajya Sabha membership!” Khaira said in a post on X.

Echoing similar sentiments, Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa believed that work had started as per the plan made by Kejriwal.

“If Kejriwal becomes a Rajya Sabha member, he will control Punjab by becoming the undercover Chief Minister. The face will be of Bhagwant Mann, but the control will be of Kejriwal,” he said.

After this, he wrote on X, the people of Delhi “will create such a situation that Bhagwant Mann sahib will be removed on some pretext and Arvind Kejriwal himself will become the Chief Minister.”

Joining the issue, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia said power hungry Kejriwal was seeking a Rajya Sabha nomination and this was the reason why the party had forced its sitting MP Sanjiv Arora to vacate a Rajya Sabha seat for him.

In a statement here, former minister Majithia said the AAP’s game plan was to use the government’s might to get Arora elected to the Vidhan Sabha so that a Rajya Sabha seat is vacated in the state.

“Kejriwal wants to get twin benefits including a government bungalow in his name in the national Capital as well as the perks and power of an MP,” he said.

The Akali Dal leader said it was most shameful to see that during the last three years Bhagwant Mann as Chief Minister had completely surrendered at the feet of the AAP high command in Delhi.

He said earlier the treasury of Punjab was looted for preaching the AAP’s failed Kejriwal model throughout the country and now he was seeking a nomination to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab.

Saying this bye-election is to prepare cadres for the future polls, AAP’s Punjab spokesperson Neel Garg, dubbed the claims of the Opposition as rumours regarding either party supremo Kejriwal or Sisodia replacing Arora in the Rajya Sabha.

“The BJP rumour mills are working overtime. As of now, the election for Ludhiana (West) has not even been announced. Arora has been chosen as the party candidate because of his popularity in Ludhiana. He has not even resigned from the Rajya Sabha membership. He can’t contest the bye-election without resigning,” Garg told the media here.

Justifying the party’s decision, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Sandhwan said a party can nominate anyone to the Rajya Sabha from anywhere.

“It’s their right. What is the illegality in this? Even Manmohan Singh went to the Rajya Sabha from another state. The party will decide who will be fielded and anyone they field I will welcome it,” Sandhwan said.

The Ludhiana (West) seat fell vacant with the demise of Gurpreet Gogi Bassi, 58, who died after sustaining a gunshot wound in his head at his house last month.

The Election Commission of India is yet to announce the election schedule for the seat.

AAP’s legislator Gogi joined the AAP in 2022 and defeated two-time MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu during the 2022 Assembly elections.

Responding to the nomination, candidate Arora wrote on X, “Humbled and grateful to the leadership @AamAadmiParty for reposing faith in me to contest the Ludhiana West bye-elections. As someone deeply connected to my hometown, I look forward to serving my people with dedication and sincerity.”

The seven Rajya Sabha MPs from Punjab are Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, cricketer Harbhajan Singh, educationist Ashok Mittal, environmentalist-cum-religious leader Balbir Singh Seechewal, entrepreneur Vikramjit Singh Sahney, besides Sanjeev Arora.

Kejriwal lost the New Delhi seat to BJP’s Parvesh Verma in the just-concluded Assembly elections.

Crime

Encroachments along Adyar River in TN bulldozed on Madras HC order

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Chennai, May 22: Following stern directives from the Madras High Court, authorities have initiated the removal of encroachments along the Adyar riverbank in Tamil Nadu’s Anakaputhur, with plans to complete the process within a week.

The court had recently issued a three-month deadline to the Tamil Nadu government to eliminate all encroachments obstructing the Adyar River Restoration Project.

Responding to this, the Water Resources Department on Wednesday began demolishing illegal structures, including around 50 houses in Anakaputhur. Officials confirmed that this is the first phase of the eviction drive.

The removal will continue in downstream areas such as Thideer Nagar, Jyothi Ammal Nagar, Surya Nagar, and Malligaipoo Nagar in Saidapet and Kotturpuram in the coming weeks.

An official from the Water Resources Department stated, “We will proceed with the clearance, one neighbourhood at a time, as per the court’s directive. The project had been delayed for years due to the presence of these encroachments.”

The state’s Additional Advocate-General J. Ravindran informed the court that the encroachments had halted progress on the Adyar River Restoration Project — a major initiative worth Rs 1,500 crore announced in three consecutive budgets since 2023.

Due to the obstructions, contractors were unable to prepare a detailed project report, stalling the project indefinitely.

In Anakaputhur alone, 593 families residing in areas such as Quaid-e-Milleth Nagar, Thai Moogambikai Nagar, Santhai Nagar, and MGR Nagar Third Street are being evicted. However, the state government is providing alternative housing to the affected families.

“Each displaced family will be allotted a 390-square-foot house at no cost. These houses, valued at Rs 17 lakh each, are located in Talaivaram, Keerapakkam, Perumbakkam, and Navalur,” the official added.

The Adyar River Restoration Project aims to rejuvenate the heavily polluted waterway and prevent urban flooding — a recurring issue during Chennai’s monsoon seasons. The successful removal of encroachments is expected to pave the way for its long-awaited implementation.

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National News

Gunfight breaks out between security forces and terrorists in J&K’s Kishtwar

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Jammu, May 22: A gunfight erupted on Thursday between the joint security forces and the terrorists during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district.

Officials said that on specific information about the presence of a group of three to four terrorists, joint forces launched a CASO in Singhpora, Chatroo area of Kishtwar district.

“The cordon was tightened to engage the terrorists and to ensure that they are unable to escape. As the joint forces came closer, the hiding terrorists opened fire, triggering an encounter which is now going on. Three to four Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists are reported to be holed up,” officials said.

Naming the operation as ‘Op Trashi’, the White Knight Corps of the Indian Army in a post on its X handle said, “Contact has been established with #terrorists during a joint #operation with @JmuKmrPolice at #Chhatru, #Kishtwar today morning. Additional troops have been inducted, and operations are ongoing to neutralize the terrorists.”

Joint forces have started aggressive operations against terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers in J&K. These operations were intensified after April 22, when Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists segregated tourists on the basis of religion and killed 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and a local, in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam.

The cowardly terrorist act outraged the entire nation. India launched precision-guided targeted attacks on terrorist infrastructure in Muridke near Lahore, Bahawalpur, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Pakistan responded by heavy mortar shelling on the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir, targeting civilian facilities.

A total of 200 houses and shops were destroyed in Pakistani shelling, while hundreds of border residents were forced to abandon their villages to run to safer locations.

The border residents have not fully returned to their homes yet as the security forces are still defusing unexploded Pakistan shells in Poonch, Rajouri, Baramulla and Kupwara districts.

India agreed to a ceasefire arrived at by the DGMOs of the two countries on June 12.

But, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has made it clear that the understanding will be respected only as long as Pakistan does not allow any terrorist activity on its soil against India. he said that this was a probation period for Pakistan.

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J&K L-G announces govt job for kin of Pak shelling victims

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Jammu, May 21: J&K Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha, on Wednesday announced government jobs to the next of kin of those who lost their lives in Pakistan shelling.

The Lieutenant Governor made the announcement while addressing families affected by the Poonch shelling.

The L-G expressed grief over the loss of lives due to Pakistan shelling and also expressed sympathy with the bereaved families.

“The loss of lives cannot be compensated. We stand with the families in this hour of grief. The next of kin of those who lost their lives will be given government jobs. This is in addition to the Centre’s support for the affected families. Both the Centre and state governments have been making efforts to provide compensation to the families. The damage assessment is being done, and once the report is completed, the measures will be taken accordingly,” he said.

“Community bunkers have already been constructed at many places, but the number of individual bunkers will be constructed soon to ensure the safety of border dwellers,” the Lt.Governor said.

In response to specific precision strikes against terror targets by Indian armed forces in Muridke near Lahore and Kotli and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) by India, Pakistan resorted to Indiscriminate mortar shelling on civilian facilities along the line of control (LoC) and the international border (IB).

Over 200 houses and shops were destroyed in Pakistan mortar shelling in Poonch, Rajouri, Baramulla and Kupwara districts. Hundreds of civilians had to give up homes, livestock and agricultural fields. Over 38 civilians were killed as Pakistan shelled civilian areas.

The border residents are still not able to completely return to their villages because of unexploded shells in the border areas.

Notably, India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire understanding on May 10 as the DGMOs of the two countries spoke to each other on the hotline.

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