Better coordination needed between AAP leadership and lawmakers in Punjab, says party MP Kang
Chandigarh (PTI): There is a need for better coordination and continuous dialogue between the Aam Aadmi Party leadership and its MLAs, MPs and ministers in Punjab, its Lok Sabha member Malvinder Singh Kang said on Saturday, a day after AAP's six out of seven Rajya Sabha MPs from the state defected to the BJP.
The AAP MP from Anandpur Sahib also said that the party should have considered party workers and volunteers from Punjab for the Rajya Sabha.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which is in power only in Punjab, plunged into a major crisis on Friday after its seven out of 10 MPs in the Upper House announced they were merging with the BJP. The party has said it will seek their disqualification from the Rajya Sabha.
Kang said that Sandeep Pathak, who was among those who joined the BJP, had once told him that he had not been contacted by the party for the past one year.
Pathak, a former IIT Delhi professor, was credited with drafting election and campaign strategy and building the party organisation. Once considered close to AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, Pathak played a significant role in the party's 2022 Punjab assembly polls.
"Sandeep had told me that he had not been contacted in the past one year. Had he been contacted regularly, he would not have left the party," Kang said.
Kang emphasised the need for better coordination and continuous dialogue between the party leadership and legislators, ministers and MPs.
"Feedback should be taken from the right persons, and those workers who are working at the ground level should be empowered," he further said.
On Friday, MPs Raghav Chadha and Pathak announced that they were "merging" with the BJP along with five other Rajya Sabha members.
Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney (all from Punjab) and Swati Maliwal were the other AAP MPs they named.
The development, which came ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly polls, has also exposed the faultlines within the AAP unit, amid opposition's allegations that AAP leaders from Delhi, including Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, were calling the shots in Punjab.
Opposition party leaders claimed that there may be several AAP MLAs who may jump the "sinking ship" in coming time, but AAP insiders rejected such suggestions and asserted that their party is united.
The defection came as a crippling blow to the Arvind-Kejriwal-led outfit which was gearing up for the 2027 Punjab Assembly polls.
Pathak's exit is particularly a cause of concern for the ruling party in the state as he has been credited with building the party's organisational structure in Punjab. However, his role in the party diminished after Sisodia was brought in as the party's in-charge for Punjab.
Though many leaders were not surprised after Chadha and Mittal announced their decision to quit AAP, they did not anticipate four other MPs from the state joining them.
The premises of Mittal, Chancellor of the Lovely Professional University, were raided by the Enforcement Directorate a few days ago.
AAP has accused the BJP-led central government of misusing federal agencies against the rival leaders, with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann saying that the BJP is unsettled by Punjab's progress.
A senior AAP leader said the party's volunteers and party workers, who work at the ground level, stand firmly with the party.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said Punjab and Punjabis have repeatedly defeated those who tried to dominate them.
"Those who attempted to capture Punjab have always been taught a lesson. The BJP cannot win Punjab by intimidating or threatening people. The 3 crore Punjabis are aware of the work being done by the AAP government led by Bhagwant Singh Mann," he said.
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Delhi sizzles at 42.8 deg C, logs hottest day of year so far
New Delhi (PTI): The national capital sweltered on Saturday, recording its highest maximum temperature of the year so far. Several weather stations reported heatwave conditions across the city, even as the IMD has forecast rain from Monday to Wednesday, bringing some hope of respite to Delhiites.
While a yellow alert had been issued for Saturday, a similar alert remains in place for Sunday as well, warning people of isolated heatwave conditions.
On Saturday, Safdarjung, representative of the city's weather, recorded a maximum temperature of 42.8 degrees Celsius, 5.1 degrees above normal and a 0.9-degree rise from the day before, thus fulfilling the criteria for a heatwave.
According to the India Meteorological Department, a heatwave is classified when the maximum temperature is 40 degrees Celsius or above, and it is 4.5 degrees to 6.4 degrees above normal.
This was also the highest maximum recorded in Delhi in the last four years since 2022, when the maximum had reached 43.5 degrees Celsius on April 28, 2022.
Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 25.2 degrees Celsius, 2.5 degrees above normal and a mere 0.7-degree rise from the day before.
Other weather stations also recorded isolated heatwave conditions. Lodhi Road recorded a maximum temperature of 42.6 degrees Celsius, 5.6 degrees above the normal; Ridge recorded a minimum of 44.5 degrees, 6.1 degrees above the normal; and Ayanagar logged a minimum temperature of 43.2 degrees Celsius, 4.8 degrees above the normal.
While the IMD had initially classified Friday as the season's first isolated heat wave, the MeT department later clarified on Saturday that it had been the third consecutive day of a heatwave.
IMD classifies a heatwave when at least two stations have met the required criteria. An IMD official clarified that while Delhi had fulfilled the heatwave condition only in one station on Thursday, the two-step criteria are actually for the entire subdivision of Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi.
"On Thursday, one station, Rohtak to be specific, of Haryana and Ridge of Delhi, had satisfied heatwave criteria, thus making it the first day. Saturday was the third consecutive day of heat waves," an IMD official said.
Meanwhile, the weather department has issued a yellow alert for Sunday as well. The official added, "These conditions are likely to continue till Sunday.
Under the influence of the setting in of lower tropospheric level easterly winds, the maximum temperature might drop on Tuesday, as forecasts suggest very light rain possible from Monday.
According to forecasts by the MeT department, a spell of very light rain, along with thunderstorms and gusty winds, might bring some respite from Monday to at least Wednesday. The maximum temperature is forecast to fall to 38-40 degrees Celsius by the end of next week.
The minimum temperature is likely to be around 25-27 degrees Celsius for the next couple of days.
The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of Delhi stood at 243 (poor) at 4 pm, compared to an AQI of 226 (poor) recorded at the same time on Friday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
According to CPCB standards, an AQI of 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.
The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi has forecast the AQI to remain in the poor category over the weekend and then improve to the moderate category in the subsequent days.
