Delhi former Transport Minister and one of the ruling AAP’s senior most leaders, Kailash Gahlot joined the rivals BJP in the presence of Union Minister ML Khattar and Harsh Malhotra. Union Minister ML Khattar described Kailash Gahlot’s induction as a turning point, especially before the February election.

After joining BJP, Kailash Gahlot said that this was not an easy step for him as he was a part of the AAP since the time of Anna Hazare, the anti-corruption activist whose popular movement birthed the AAP, and that he has worked for Delhi throughout as MLA and minister.

He clarified  that he did not take any decision under pressure, adding that some may think that this is an overnight decision or due to pressure. He also rejected speculations that the move was the result of pressure from federal investigative agencies.

Slamming AAP,  he stated that there is a narrative that he switched due to Central Bureau of Investigation or Enforcement Directorate pressure, adding that since 2015, as an AAP member, as MLA, and as Minister he has never done anything due to pressure. He noted that the fact is AAP compromised its values, adding that the party’s political ambitions had overtaken its commitment to the people. Gahlot attributed his resignation decision to the dwindling credibility of AAP on several issues.

This switch by Gahlot, who was incharge of portfolios of Home, Administrative Reforms, IT and Women and Child Development, comes at a time when the party is gearing up for the Delhi Assembly election slated to be held in February next year.

Notably, he is the third member of the Kejriwal cabinet to have quit the party and the ministerial portfolio. Earlier in April, Raaj Kumar Anand, the minister in charge of social welfare and labour and employment, quit the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal has maintained silence on the resignation so far. At an event Sunday he declined to answer questions on Kailash Gahlot, passing the microphone to senior leader Durgesh Pathak instead.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday took a sharp dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan: ek hai to safe hai, accusing him of prioritizing the interests of business tycoon Gautam Adani over the people of Maharashtra. 

He explained the nexus between the slogan and Mumbai’s Dharavi project being given to Adani. Addressing a press conference, the Congress leader quoted PM Narendra Modi’s slogan, questioning who is one, who is safe and whose is it safe? He then continued that the answer is, there is Narendra Modi, Adani, Amit Shah and there is safe Adani, and at the same time, the people of Maharashtra and Dharavi are the ones who suffer loss.

The Congress MP said that  the Dharavi redevelopment is unfair, and it is being done to benefit only one person. He added that they are not convinced how tenders are being given, mentioning that only one person is given all the ports, airports and wealth of India. Furthermore, he also endorsed Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray’s promise to cancel the Dharavi project tender if the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance comes to power.

Rahul Gandhi also alleged that major industrial projects had been moved out of Maharashtra to Gujarat, accusing the Eknath Shine government of depriving the state of economic opportunities. He noted that a total of Rs 7 lakh crore worth of projects like Foxconn and Airbus have been shifted to Gujarat, taking away 5 lakh jobs from the people of Maharashtra.

Terming the Maharashtra election as a contest between the billionaires and the poor, Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress government would side with the farmers, poor and the unemployed. He noted that the main issues are employment and inflation.

Earlier, The BJP has defended the Dharavi project, calling it a transformative initiative to provide better living conditions and infrastructure for the residents of the slum area.

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi blamed the BJP led central government for not taking steps to check stubble burning, one of the factors that contribute to air pollution in the national capital.

Notably, the air quality in Delhi has been going down since October end and has been worsening since then, with the same attributed to multiple factors such as firecrackers and stubble burning – most common in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

Addressing a press conference, the Chief Minister asked whether the Centre can tell a single step it has taken to prevent stubble burning from happening. She also pointed out that stubble burning has been increasing over the last 6-7 years.

She further asked that if the Punjab government, led by her party AAP, can reduce stubble burning by 80 per cent, then why are the cases increasing in other states. She continued why has the entire North India been pushed into a state of medical emergency? 

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Delhi government about steps taken to curb rising pollution level in the national capital. The apex court also questioned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government over the delay in implementation of Stage 4 of GRAP in the city despite the alarming rise in pollution.

The air quality in the national capital plunged to severe plus for the first time this season, forcing the government to implement Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) – an anti-pollution plan. As per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) data, Delhi’s air quality Index (AQI) was 481 this morning. Among the 35 monitoring stations in the national capital, most recorded over 400 AQI, with Dwarka reporting the highest at 499.

The top court also told the Delhi government to not relax the GRAP-4 anti-pollution curbs without the court’s order. Under the aegis GRAP-4, a ban has been imposed on Delhi-registered BS-IV or older diesel medium and heavy goods vehicles. Furthermore, all trucks and light commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi will not be allowed to enter the national capital, except for those carrying essential commodities or providing essential services

All private and government schools have been shifted online, except for Classes 10 and 12. Public and private offices have also been asked to work at 50 per cent capacity and the rest have been recommended to work from home.

In addition, the state government may also consider additional emergency measures such as the closure of non-emergency commercial activities, and permitting the running of vehicles on an odd-even basis of registration numbers.