NEW DELHI, Oct 2026 : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has hit out at the Narendra Modi government after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) inspected super deluxe buses ferrying elderly tirth yatris under the Punjab government’s Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra scheme. AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal asserted that the attempt was made to stop the Bhagwant Mann government’s scheme for senior citizens, questioning why the NHRC had inspected tirth buses for the first time and whether it had ever carried out similar checks on roadways buses in any other state.
AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal took to ‘X’ and said, “The National Human Rights Commission (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 ‘tirth yatra’.”
He continued, “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.”
The AAP Chief asked, “PM Modi, why are you so determined to stop elderly people from undertaking tirth yatra? Why do you want to invite the curses of the elderly? You will incur a great deal of sin. All Punjabis will curse you.”
Meanwhile, senior AAP leader and Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia also strongly criticised the NHRC’s inspection of the super deluxe buses used for pilgrimages. He said, “Gen Z was put behind bars for hoisting the Tiranga, but the Human Rights Commission remained immersed in silence. Pellet guns were fired at students, yet the Commission’s silence continued.”
He added, “When women were harassed on college campuses, the Commission was nowhere to be seen. Even in cases of illegal detention, the Commission does not seem concerned about human rights. But when reports emerged that the air conditioning in a bus in Punjab was not working, the Commission set out with a lantern, searching for answers to the question of which bus was not providing cool air.”
Manish Sisodia said, “When a person is shot, there is silence; when someone feels hot, there is an investigation. You might as well change the name of the Commission from the ‘Human Rights Commission’ to the ‘BJP Rights Commission’.”
In Punjab, under the Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra Scheme, the Bhagwant Mann government facilitates yatra for elderly residents of Punjab to Sri Amritsar Sahib, Sri Anandpur Sahib, Sri Kiratpur Sahib, Mata Naina Devi Temple, Haridwar-Rishikesh, Mathura-Vrindavan, Salasar Balaji Dham and Sri Khatu Shyam Ji.
The entire tirth yatra is completely free of cost. The government makes all the necessary arrangements for the elderly devotees and bears the entire expenditure. As of 14 October, the Bhagwant Mann government had facilitated pilgrimages for approximately 7 lakh elderly people. Of these, 5.5 lakh pilgrims had visited Amritsar, Wagah Border, Ram Tirath and Durgiana Temple. Another 1 lakh had visited Sri Anandpur Sahib, while 15,000 pilgrims had travelled to Mathura, 15,000 to Khatu Shyam and 15,000 to Haridwar-Rishikesh.
The AAP hit out at the NHRC, asking, “Since when did the National Human Rights Commission become a Regional Transport Office? Using India’s premier human rights institution as a weapon to inspect bus doors and prevent elderly devotees from undertaking their journeys is a pathetic display of the BJP’s politics of vendetta. The BJP’s desperation is deeply shameful.”
Amit Shah will rid Punjab of drugs by allying with the ‘Chitta Party’: Arvind Kejriwal
In another post, Arvind Kejriwal criticised Amit Shah over BJP’s alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal). Responding to what he described as Amit Shah’s false claims about making Punjab drug-free, he said, “Majithia and Amit Shah are extremely close, just like brothers. Now, by forming an alliance with Majithia, Amit Shah will rid Punjab of drugs. This will be the eighth wonder of the world. Wah, Modi ji, wah. What a plan.”
Meanwhile, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said, “Amit Shah’s plan to ‘control’ the drug problem in Punjab is that he intends to exercise this control in partnership with Majithia. He won’t eliminate it, he will ‘control’ it.”
