Day after quitting AAP, Kailash Gahlot joins BJP
New Delhi (PTI): Former Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot joined the BJP on Monday, a day after resigning from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
He joined the BJP at its headquarters in the presence of Union ministers Manohar Lal Khattar and Harsh Malhotra, Delhi unit president Virendra Sachdeva and national media head Anil Baluni among others.
Addressing the media after joining the party, Gahlot said efforts are being made to build a false narrative that his decision to quit the AAP was the result of ED and CBI pressure.
The fact is that the AAP compromised its values, he said.
Khattar described Gahlot's joining as a "turning point" in the politics of the national capital.
The BJP is hopeful that Gahlot's induction into the party will boost its prospects in the upcoming assembly polls as it looks to wrest power from the AAP.
Sachdeva said Gahlot, a two-term MLA and an advocate, is a leader known for his good work.
The former transport minister quit the AAP on Sunday, alleging "political ambitions" had overtaken the party's commitment towards people.
"Instead of fighting for people's rights, we have increasingly only been fighting for our own political agenda," the 50-year-old said in his resignation letter to AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal.
Gahlot, a prominent face of the AAP, also took a jab at Kejriwal as he flagged some "awkward" and "embarrassing" controversies like 'sheeshmahal', saying it makes everyone doubt if "we still believe in being the 'Aam Aadmi'".
The AAP had claimed that Gahlot's decision was influenced by cases being probed against him by central agencies.
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Domestic air passenger traffic hits single-day record of 5.05 lakh on Nov 17
New Delhi (PTI): Marking a new record, domestic air passenger traffic crossed 5 lakh for the first time in a single day on Sunday, reflecting strong travel demand amid festive and wedding seasons.
Airlines carried 5,05,412 passengers on Sunday (November 17) and the number of flight departures was at 3,173, according to the latest data from the civil aviation ministry.
It was the first time that domestic air passenger traffic crossed the 5 lakh-mark in a single day.
"Domestic travel has witnessed strong demand during the festive season. Daily flown pax crossed 5 lakh on 17th Nov.
"The high pax movement is largely backed by robust festive demand and the start of the wedding season. We expect strong demand to continue in the winter season," Gaurav Patwari, Vice President - Air Category - at travel portal Cleartrip, said.
The occupancy of flights operated by the main scheduled carriers on Sunday were above 90 per cent.
However, On Time Performance (OTP) of the airlines have been impacted in recent days due to various factors.
On Sunday, the OTP of IndiGo was at 74.2 per cent, followed by Alliance Air at 71 per cent and Akasa Air at 67.6 per cent. Among other airlines, SpiceJet and Air India's OTP stood at 66.1 per cent and 57.1 per cent, respectively.
In October, aviation watchdog DGCA said Indian airlines will operate 25,007 flights every week to and from 124 airports in the winter schedule that started from October 27.
The number of flights is three per cent higher than 24,275 departures per week from 125 airports in the current summer schedule.
In comparison to the winter schedule 2023, the number of flights has increased by 5.37 per cent.
The winter schedule is from October 27, 2024 till March 29, 2025.
