Politics

Swati Maliwal, leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was arrested on Thursday after staging a dramatic protest outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence over the city’s growing garbage problem. Maliwal, along with her aides, collected garbage from the streets of Vikaspuri and dumped it in front of Kejriwal’s house. In a video shared on social media, police officers were seen detaining her as she carried out the protest. Maliwal criticized the Delhi government’s failure to address the city's sanitation issues, stating, "Arvind Kejriwal has turned Delhi into a garbage dump... People are facing a lot of problems." She added that the protest aimed to make Kejriwal experience the daily hardships Delhiites face due to the garbage crisis. Despite facing legal action, Maliwal remained defiant, emphasizing that she would continue to fight for the people of Delhi.

Ravinder Singh Negi, the BJP candidate for the Patparganj seat in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, gained attention when Prime Minister Modi touched his feet at a rally in Ghonda. Negi, 45, is a sitting MCD councillor from Vinod Nagar and is contesting against AAP's Avadh Ojha. Known for his controversial actions, such as asking shopkeepers to alter business names or close for religious reasons, Negi has previously contested the Patparganj seat in 2020, losing narrowly to Manish Sisodia. Despite controversies, Negi secured a victory in the 2022 MCD elections and remains an influential figure within the BJP.

In a heated exchange, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini of "pretending" to drink contaminated Yamuna water and then spitting it back into the river. This followed Kejriwal's earlier claim that the BJP-led Haryana government was "mixing poison" in Delhi's water. Saini responded by defending his actions and criticizing Kejriwal's remarks as a reflection of "narrow thinking." The controversy intensified with the Haryana government announcing plans to file a case against Kejriwal, while the Election Commission took note of his comments during the ongoing Delhi assembly elections.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Member of Parliament A Raja has sharply criticized the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) tasked with reviewing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, calling its proceedings a “farce.” Raja revealed that MPs were given the 655-page draft report of the Bill just before the meeting, with little time to review it. He questioned the purpose of an independent parliamentary committee if the government bypassed democratic processes and made decisions unilaterally. Raja also expressed frustration with the impractical timeline to submit comments and dissent notes on the complex document. The opposition members, including TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, further criticized the committee's proceedings, alleging a lack of meaningful discussion and transparency. They accused the committee of favoring pre-determined decisions and subverting the democratic process.

The controversy over Arvind Kejriwal’s comments on Yamuna pollution has escalated into a war of words between the AAP and the BJP-led Haryana government. Kejriwal accused Haryana of "poisoning" the Yamuna water supplied to Delhi, claiming it posed a danger to the city’s residents. In response, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini threatened legal action, calling Kejriwal’s statements false and demanding an apology. Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij also criticized Kejriwal, stating the responsibility to clean the river lay with Delhi, not Haryana. Meanwhile, Delhi CM Atishi defended Kejriwal, alleging that pressure from the Lieutenant Governor led to a misleading letter from the Delhi Jal Board, which inadvertently revealed alarming ammonia levels in the water.