Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday hit out at the BJP-led Centre, alleging that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had inspected the “super deluxe buses” ferrying pilgrims under the Punjab government’s Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra scheme.In a press statement, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal claimed the move was aimed at stopping the AAP government’s pilgrimage scheme for senior citizens. He questioned why the NHRC had inspected the buses for the first time and whether it had ever carried out similar checks on state-run buses elsewhere in the country.Kejriwal posted on X: “The NHRC, the country’s highest human rights body, has inspected buses for the first time in its history. Which buses? The super deluxe buses taking people from Punjab on pilgrimage. What shortcomings did it find? Questions such as why there is a partition between the driver and the passengers. Did the NHRC inspect Uttar Pradesh Roadways buses? No. Did the NHRC inspect buses operated by any other state’s roadways? No. It inspected only the super deluxe buses carrying devotees from Punjab. PM Modi, why are you so determined to stop elderly people from undertaking tirth yatra? All Punjabis will curse you.”An official spokesperson added that, till October 14, the AAP government had facilitated pilgrimages for around 7 lakh elderly people. Of these, 5.5 lakh pilgrims visited Amritsar, Wagah Border, Ram Tirath and Durgiana Temple; 1 lakh visited Sri Anandpur Sahib; while 15,000 each travelled to Mathura, Khatu Shyam and Haridwar-Rishikesh.Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema also accused central agencies of trying to stall the AAP government’s public welfare initiatives.Replying to a question, Cheema said, “The central agencies are trying to paralyse the AAP government and its initiatives. The BJP wants to stop the Tirath Yatra scheme. It is on the same lines as Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring publicly saying that if his party is voted to power, public welfare schemes such as the Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana and the free bus service would be withdrawn.”NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo said in New Delhi that the commission had received a complaint alleging that buses used under the pilgrimage scheme did not meet the required safety standards. The complaint raised concerns over unauthorised structural modifications and partitions between the driver’s cabin and the passenger compartment.
