Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched a broadside against INDIA bloc ally and Delhi’s former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal over rising “pollution and inflation” at his first public rally for assembly elections in the national capital.

“Arvind Kejriwal had said that he would clean Delhi, remove corruption, and turn the national capital into Paris. What actually happened – one cannot move around due to pollution and inflation is rising,” Mr Gandhi said addressing his ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan’ public meeting in Seelampur.

“Arvind Kejriwal had talked of removing corruption. Has he removed corruption? Pollution, corruption and inflation are on the rise in Delhi,” he said.

The AAP chief reacted to the blistering attack by the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and said while Mr Gandhi was fighting to save the Congress, “my fight is to save the country”.

“Today, Rahul Gandhi came to Delhi. He abused me a lot. But I will not comment on his statements,” he wrote on X in Hindi.

Accusing the AAP of keeping mum on the issue of caste census, Mr Gandhi promised a caste survey in Delhi if the Congress formed the government in the national capital.

The former Congress president sought people’s support to make the party victorious in Delhi, where it failed to win a single seat in the last two elections. He asserted that the party would ensure Delhi’s development as in the past under Sheila Dikshit’s government. “Neither (Arvind) Kejriwal nor the BJP can do what the Congress had done,” Mr Gandhi said.

The Congress has been highlighting the achievements of the 15-year rule under Sheila Dikshit.

In 2013, Arvind Kejriwal – a rookie politician back then – defeated the three-time chief minister in her constituency of New Delhi.

For this year’s election, the Congress has fielded Sandeep Dikshit, the son of Sheila Dikshit, against Mr Kejriwal.

The AAP and Congress have decided to go solo in the assembly elections, months after the parties fought the Lok Sabha Elections in Delhi together. Their Lok Sabha partnership ended in a debacle as the BJP won all the seven seats.

In the run-up to the Delhi assembly elections, the parties have engaged in bitter political fight, targeting each other over issues ranging from corruption and free welfare schemes, like free water, power, education, health and bus travel.

The Delhi Congress has even released a 12-point “white paper” against the AAP and BJP for mismanagement of pollution, civic facilities and law and order in the national capital.

In the 2020 assembly elections, the AAP won 62 of the 70 seats and BJP secured eight seats while Congress failed to open its account.

Polling for the 70-member Delhi Assembly will be held on February 5 and votes counted on February 8.

India will not reduce troops along the LAC with China, citing a persisting standoff and the need to rebuild trust for de-escalation. Army chief Gen Dwivedi also criticized Pakistan for cross-border terrorism in J&K. The situation along the LAC is stable but sensitive, with strategic patience required to resolve the conflict.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday picked international jurist Nawaf Salam to form a government for the war-scarred country and pull it out of economic crisis.A majority of Lebanese lawmakers endorsed Nawaf Salam, the presiding judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, after two years of caretaker government.”The president of the republic called on Judge Nawaf Salam to task him with forming a government, knowing that he is currently abroad. It has been decided he will return tomorrow,” the presidency said.Aoun, whose election last week ended a two-year vacancy for the post, held consultations with lawmakers ahead of announcing his nominee. n18oc_world n18oc_crux0:00 INTRODUCTION3:55 SALAM Vs MIKATI5:54 ‘ERA OF WEAPONS IS OVER FOR HEZBOLLAH’