FIR lodged against Saurabh Bharadwaj, 3 AAP MLAs for ruckus over bus marshal issue
New Delhi, Oct 6: Delhi Police on Sunday registered a case against AAP minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and three party MLAs for the ruckus at the Secretariat and Lt Governor's House over the issue of reinstatement of bus marshals.
According to the FIR registered based on a complaint by Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, the AAP MLAs have been charged under in Civil Lines police station under sections 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Delhi Police has not released any statement on the matter so far.
On Saturday, Bharadwaj and other AAP leaders were seen laying at the feet of Gupta, requesting him to accompany them to LG VK Saxena's House to get his approval on the cabinet note on bus marshals.
Gupta has alleged that AAP MLAs Saurabh Bhardwaj, Kuldeep Kumar, Jarnail Singh and Rohit Mahroliya indulged in indecent behaviour that led to a scuffle.
He said this happened after the BJP MLAs submitted a memorandum on the marshals' issue to Delhi Chief Minister Atishi.
When they were leaving the meeting, AAP MLAs present at the Secretariat complex misbehaved and engaged in a scuffle, Gupta said.
On Saturday, AAP and BJP MLAs levelled allegations against each other on the issue of reinstating bus marshals.
Over 10,000 civil defence volunteers deployed as marshals in public transport buses were removed last year after an objection was raised by the directorate of civil defence that they were meant for disaster management duties.
While Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, accompanied by BJP MLAs, met LG VK Saxena and submitted a cabinet note to reinstate the bus marshals, it turned out to be a brief moment of thaw as AAP leaders soon accused the BJP of "betrayal" on the issue.
In a dramatic sequence of events, Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj laid at BJP MLA Vijender Gupta's feet, requesting him to accompany AAP leaders to the LG's residence to seek Saxena's approval on the reinstatement of the bus marshals, while the chief minister left her car and sat in the BJP leader's car.
After meeting the LG, Atishi lashed out at the BJP, saying the party has "betrayed" the bus marshals.
"Firstly, the BJP MLAs were not ready to come to meet the LG, but we managed to get them with us somehow. But even after coming here, they have not asked the LG to sign the cabinet note even a single time," she said.
This is a complete betrayal by the BJP, and now the onus is on them to reinstate the bus marshals, Atishi added.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
