Punjab BJP chief alleges Kejriwal prioritises bus mafia over elderly safety
Synopsis
Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon has accused Arvind Kejriwal of running the Chief Minister's Pilgrimage Scheme 'like a bus mafia' using out-of-state buses and Delhi-based operators — framing an NHRC safety notice as proof of systemic mismanagement rather than political targeting. A separate BJP charge reveals nearly 1,000 specialist doctor posts lying vacant in Punjab's government hospitals since 2022.
Key Takeaways
Punjab BJP President Kewal Singh Dhillon alleged on 25 October that Arvind Kejriwal is prioritising bus operators over the safety of Punjab's elderly citizens.
The NHRC issued a notice over safety violations involving buses used in the Chief Minister's Pilgrimage Scheme ; the commission reportedly acted against 1,000 buses nationally over the past year.
Dhillon alleged that all buses in the scheme are privately sourced from other states, since the Punjab government told the NHRC in January that no sleeper buses are registered in Punjab.
BJP leader Shwait Malik alleged nearly 1,000 out of 2,098 sanctioned specialist doctor posts in Punjab's government hospitals are vacant.
The Punjab government has reportedly not conducted a single regular recruitment of specialist doctors since 2022 , according to Malik.
Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Kewal Singh Dhillon on Sunday, 25 October alleged that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convener Arvind Kejriwal is more concerned about protecting a bus mafia operating in Punjab than ensuring the safety of the state's elderly citizens. The charge came in response to Kejriwal's remarks on a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) notice linked to buses running under the Chief Minister's Pilgrimage Scheme.
The Bus Mafia Allegation
Dhillon alleged that Kejriwal is deliberately politicising the NHRC's notice, which concerns safety violations involving buses used in the pilgrimage scheme. 'That is why he is turning the National Human Rights Commission's notice regarding safety issues involving buses operating under the Chief Minister's Pilgrimage Scheme into a political issue,' Dhillon said in a statement in Chandigarh.
According to Dhillon, the Human Rights Commission took action against 1,000 buses across the country over the past year following incidents of fires involving sleeper buses. 'Such incidents have been occurring repeatedly, resulting in the loss of lives. Linking this action exclusively to Punjab is nothing but an outright falsehood,' he said.
Out-of-State Buses and Delhi Operators
Dhillon pointed out that in January, the Punjab government itself had informed the Human Rights Commission that no sleeper buses are registered in Punjab. He argued this confirms that all buses operating under the pilgrimage scheme are private vehicles brought in from other states.
'Not only have the buses been brought in from outside Punjab, but the people running the scheme have also been brought in from Delhi. Kejriwal is running Punjab's Chief Minister's Pilgrimage Scheme like a bus mafia through his close associate,' Dhillon alleged. He further challenged Kejriwal to clarify whether the same pilgrimage scheme in Delhi was discontinued after the BJP formed the government there, calling it a question Kejriwal must answer first.
Healthcare Crisis in Punjab: BJP's Additional Attack
Separately, BJP leader Shwait Malik targeted Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's government over what he described as a collapsing public healthcare system in the state. Citing the health department's own figures, Malik said that nearly 1,000 out of 2,098 sanctioned posts of specialist doctors in government hospitals are currently vacant.
Malik alleged the situation has worsened because the Punjab government has not conducted a single regular recruitment of specialist doctors since 2022. 'Government hospitals in the state are functioning without specialist doctors,' he said, warning that the vacancy crisis directly affects ordinary patients who depend on public health infrastructure.
Political Context
This comes amid an intensifying political rivalry between the BJP and the AAP-led Punjab government, with the opposition increasingly focusing on governance issues such as transport safety and public health ahead of future electoral cycles. The NHRC notice has provided the BJP a fresh opening to question AAP's stewardship of the pilgrimage scheme, which is meant to benefit senior citizens. How the AAP government responds to both the NHRC notice and the doctor vacancy figures will be closely watched in the coming days.
Point of View
It attempts to reframe a regulatory safety issue as evidence of AAP cronyism in Punjab. The challenge for the BJP is credibility — the same NHRC action covered 1,000 buses nationally, which dilutes the Punjab-specific narrative Dhillon is pushing. The healthcare vacancy figure, however, is harder to deflect: nearly half of sanctioned specialist posts unfilled since 2022 is a governance failure that transcends political spin. AAP will need a substantive answer on doctor recruitment, not just a counter-attack on the pilgrimage scheme optics.
NationPress
25 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the controversy over Punjab's Chief Minister's Pilgrimage Scheme?
The National Human Rights Commission issued a notice over safety concerns involving buses used in Punjab's Chief Minister's Pilgrimage Scheme, which provides religious travel for elderly residents. Punjab BJP President Kewal Singh Dhillon alleged the buses are privately sourced from other states and run by Delhi-based operators linked to Arvind Kejriwal.
What did the NHRC action involve?
According to Dhillon, the NHRC took action against 1,000 buses across India over the past year following repeated incidents of fires in sleeper buses. He argued that singling out Punjab over the notice misrepresents the national scope of the commission's action.
Why did Dhillon say Punjab has no registered sleeper buses?
Dhillon cited a January submission by the Punjab government to the NHRC confirming that no sleeper buses are registered in the state. He used this to argue that all buses in the pilgrimage scheme are externally sourced, pointing to what he called a 'bus mafia' arrangement managed through Kejriwal's close associates.
What is the specialist doctor vacancy crisis in Punjab?
BJP leader Shwait Malik alleged that nearly 1,000 out of 2,098 sanctioned specialist doctor posts in Punjab government hospitals are vacant, citing the health department's own data. He said the Punjab government has not made a single regular recruitment of specialist doctors since 2022.
How has the AAP government responded to these allegations?
The source material does not include an official AAP or Punjab government response to the BJP's allegations. A formal reply from the ruling party is awaited.
