AAP govt hits back after Union Minister Hardeep Puri blames it for fire

Lapses were allowed to continue with impunity, says union minister and Delhi BJP leader.

Union Housing and Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for the deaths of 43 people in a fire in Delhi, alleging it had allowed safety lapses to continue with "impunity".

The building in north Delhi's Anaj Mandi where the fire occurred flouted fire safety norms and the lanes leading to it had cables dangling dangerously, he said in a statement.

The AAP government, however, termed Puri's statement "shocking and false" and claimed that it was aimed at hiding "corruption and inefficiency" of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led civic bodies in Delhi.

"Delhi Fire Services had