Malviya Nagar blaze triggers political slugfest

The Aam Aadmi Party and Congress blamed the ruling BJP for the massive fire in Malviya Nagar hotel that claimed 21 lives on Wednesday, with the saffron party accusing them of creating a "chaotic" situation over the past decades.

AAP chief and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in a post on X expressed concern over continuous fire incidents and deaths in Delhi.

AAP Delhi unit convener Saurbah Bharadwaj, visited the fire spot in Malviya Nagar, and claimed that eyewitnesses said fire tenders arrived 1.5 hours late. Most of those who perished in the blaze were foreigners, he said, and wondered what image of India was created globally by the tragedy. Delhi BJP president and Union minister Harsh Malhotra hit back at the AAP and Congress, saying the "chaotic" situation of hotels in Delhi is a result of 27 years of "corruption" by successive governments run by them.