LS polls: Kejriwal snubs ex-Pak minister; says won't tolerate interference by sponsors of terrorism
New Delhi, May 25: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday chastised former Pakistan minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain after he called for the defeat of "forces of hate and extremism" in the Lok Sabha elections, saying the polls are India's internal matter and it will not tolerate interference by the "biggest sponsors of terrorism".
In the sixth of the seven-phase elections, 58 parliamentary constituencies, including seven in Delhi, went to polls on Saturday.
After casting his vote, Kejriwal, who is the AAP's national convenor, shared a picture on X of his family members showing fingers marked in ink and said he voted against "dictatorship, inflation and unemployment".
Sharing Kejriwal's post on X with the hashtags "MorePower" and "IndiaElection2024", Hussain said, "May peace and harmony defeat forces of hate and extremism."
Minutes after Hussain's post, Kejriwal hit back at him, saying his post was unnecessary.
"Chaudhry Sahib, the people of my country and I are fully capable of handling our issues. Your comment is not needed. The situation in Pakistan is very bad right now. You take care of your country," Kejriwal said on X.
In another post, the chief minister said the elections are India's internal matter and the country will "not tolerate interference by the biggest sponsors of terrorism".
Responding to Kejriwal's posts, Hussain said, "CM sb! Indeed electioneering is your own issue but hope you will appreciate extremism be it in Pakistan or India is a borderless phenomenon and dangerous for everyone be it BD (Bangladesh), India or Pak so everyone with some conscience must be concerned... (sic)."
"The situation in Pakistan is very far from ideal but individuals must strive for a better society wherever they are," he said.
Hitting out at Kejriwal, the BJP alleged that Pakistan has also jumped in support of the AAP leader's politics of corruption.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said his party has been saying that "Kejriwal is hand in glove with the country's enemies".
"Chaudhry Fawad Hussain is speaking now. He had also written a social media post on Kejriwal's release. Five phases of elections have already been conducted but no remarks were made, when polls are now being held in Delhi, the statement from Pakistan has come. This shows Kejriwal has the backing of Pakistan," Sachdeva told reporters.
On May 1, Chaudhry -- infamous for boasting about Pakistan's hand in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack -- had posted on X excerpts from a speech by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with the caption "Rahul on fire". This drew sharp criticism from BJP leaders.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also slammed Gandhi and the Congress, saying Pakistan is desperate to make Gandhi the next prime minister.
चौधरी साहिब, मैं और मेरे देश के लोग अपने मसलों को संभालने में पूरी तरह सक्षम हैं। आपके ट्वीट की ज़रूरत नहीं है। इस वक़्त पाकिस्तान के हालात बहुत ख़राब हैं। आप अपने देश को सँभालिये https://t.co/P4Li3y2gDQ
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 25, 2024
भारत में हो रहे चुनाव हमारा आंतरिक मामला है। अतंकवाद के सबसे बड़े प्रायोजकों का हस्तक्षेप भारत बर्दाश्त नहीं करेगा। https://t.co/gjAQpOBAP0
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 25, 2024
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At least 4 people killed in one of largest Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia
Kyiv, May (AP): At least four people, including three near Moscow, died in one of the largest Ukrainian overnight attacks against Russia since the start of the war, according to Russian local authorities.
A woman was killed after a drone hit her home in Khimki, a city just northwest of Moscow, and two men died in the village of Pogorelki 10 km north of the capital, according to local Gov. Andrei Vorobyev.
In social media updates, Vorobyev said Ukrainian drones had also damaged unspecified “infrastructure” and several high-rises.
In Moscow itself, at least 12 people were wounded in the nighttime strike, mostly near the entrance to the city's oil refinery, mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported. Sobyanin reported the “technology” of the refinery has not been damaged.
Russian defences shot down 81 drones headed for Moscow overnight, state agency Tass reported, citing Sobyanin, marking one of the largest attacks on the Russian capital since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
One man was also killed as a drone struck a lorry in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, according to local authorities.
Russian air defences destroyed 556 drones over Russia overnight, the country's defence ministry said Sunday morning. Shortly after midday local time, it reported that over 1,000 had been shot down or jammed in the previous 24 hours.
Russia's largest airport — Moscow's Sheremetyevo — said drone debris had fallen on its premises without causing damage.
Russia attacked Ukraine with 287 drones overnight on Sunday, 279 of which were shot down or jammed, the Ukrainian air force reported.
According to Ukraine's estate emergency service, the strikes injured 8 people in Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region: three in the regional capital of Dnipro, four in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryvyi Rih, and one in the district of Synelkove.
Residential buildings were damaged in all three locations, the service said.
