New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that he has “completely failed” on the foreign policy front. Mr Kejriwal’s comments came as the Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG meeting ending with no decision on India’s membership bid.
Mr Kejriwal said that the Prime Minister owes an explanation about what he did during his “jaunts” abroad.
“PM Modi has completely failed on the foreign policy front. He owes an explanation on what he did on his foreign jaunts?” Mr Kejriwal said on Twitter.
On reports claiming that Switzerland opposed India’s bid to be an NSG member, the AAP leader suggested that the development is indicative of PM Modi’s visit to the country not bearing fruit.
Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann had on June 6 announced his country’s backing to India’s membership to the group after holding talks with Prime Minister Modi.
“Why? Didn’t the PM visit Switzerland just a few days ago?” Mr Kejriwal questioned.
The plenary meeting of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) ended in Seoul today with no decision on India’s membership bid as divisions persisted over admitting non-NPT members with China leading the opposition to it.
After a Union home minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh came to meet him on Tuesday evening outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s home, lawmaker Maheish Girri ended the hunger strike he was holding there since Sunday.
His protest started after the Chief Minister alleged that he was linked to the man arrested for murdering a New Delhi Municipal Council official MM Khan. Mr Girri had demanded that Mr Kejriwal withdraw his allegations and offer an apology.
Calling Mr Kejriwal “a problem” Mr Girri today said the home ministry will look into the matter and provide a reply, “since there is no one above the home ministry”.
While Mr Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party scoffed at Mr Girri’s protest, calling it a “drama”, the BJP rallied around the lawmaker. Earlier today, Union minister Dr Harshvardhan and senior BJP leader Satish Upadhyay had come to meet Mr Girri.
Mr Kejriwal said it was improper on the part of the Home Minister to visit the protest site and that instead he should meet the family of Khan.
MM Khan, an estate officer, was shot dead on May 16 — a day before he was to give an order on the terms of the lease of The Connaught, a four-star hotel. The hotel’s owner, Ramesh Kakkar, was arrested along with six others for the murder.
Mr Kejriwal and AAP had alleged that Mr Girri was has links with the arrested man and the police were trying to shield him. Days before the murder, Mr Kejriwal said, Ramesh Kakkar wrote to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, asking him to sack the official and that letter was forwarded by Mr Girri.
In a letter to Mr Jung, Mr Kejriwal had accused him of trying to “save” Mr Girri and NDMC vice-chairman Karan Singh Tanwar.
New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party has hit out at the Congress for appointing senior leader Kamal Nath as its general secretary in charge of Punjab, where assembly elections will be held early next year.
AAP’s HS Phoolka today resurrected allegations that Mr Nath was involved in Delhi’s anti-Sikh riots after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984.
Mr Phoolka presented at a press conference, an affidavit that he said was signed by the senior Congress leader acknowledging before a commission of inquiry his presence outside a Delhi gurdwara which was attacked and where two people were killed on November 1, 1984.
“He says he was trying to save people that he was sent by Rajiv Gandhi…If Kamal Nath was trying to save people, why did he let two Sikhs burn to death,” said Mr Phoolka, who has led a campaign for years demanding justice for the victims of the 1984 riots.
Kamal Nath has linked AAPs attack to what he called a fading campaign in Punjab. “For the last 21yrs there has been nothing wrong, no one made any allegations. I had a clean chit from the Nanavati Commission appointed by a BJP government,” the Congress leader said, adding, “Arvind Kejriwal is raising this issue because he is losing out in Punjab…we will fight this politically.”
The allegations against Kamal Nath were examined by the Nanawati Commission of Inquiry and the US-based Sikhs for Justice had filed a complaint against Mr Nath demanding that he be prosecuted when he visited Switzerland in 2013.
His appointment to manage the party’s affairs through the Punjab elections came a day before Congress vice president landed in the state and attacked the Akali Dal-BJP government over the growing problem of drug abuse, highlighted recently by the controversy over the censorship of the Bollywood film “Udta Punjab”, which is based on the subject.
The Congress sees a chance to make a comeback in Punjab after 10 years of Akali rule and is using the drug menace at the core of its election campaign in the state. So is the Aam Aadmi Party, which has turned the Punjab elections, traditionally a direct fight between the Congress and the Akali Dal, into a three-sided contest.
A 30-year-old man along with his friend has been arrested in connection with the brutal murder of a woman and her two daughters at their residence in northeast Delhi’s Brahmapuri area earlier this week, police said.
According to police, prime accused Raheesuddin had a one-sided love affair with Mehrunisha (19), one of the victims, who was in a relationship with another boy in the locality.
Reheesuddin also supported Mehrunisha’s family after her step-father’s death, and claimed that her mother, Saira (50), the other victim, tried to extort money from him, aware about Raheesuddin’s feeling about her daughter.
Last week, he allegedly conspired a plot with his friend Javed (27) and went to Mehrunisha’s house, with butcher knives. They allegedly hacked to death Saira and her daughters Mehrunisha and Shabnam (9).
During investigation it came to light that Mehrunisha was Saira’s daughter from her first marriage in UP’s Etah. After divorce, Saira married another man and Shabnam was her daughter from the second marriage, an official said.
Saira’s second husband was in a relationship with another woman and started living separate. He passed away around two years ago, after which Mehrunisha started living with her mother. She soon became friends with Raheesuddin, the official said.
The incident came to light on Sunday when locals complained of severe stench emanating from Saira’s house. When a police team reached there, they found the three decomposed bodies with multiple stab injuries.
Prima facie, they died at least three days ago.
After questioning over 100 persons in connection with the incident, police zeroed down on Raheesuddin. He had, however, left home on the pretext of a religious programme.
A team was sent to Nainital, where he was last tracked but by then he had fled from there. He was finally tracked down in Delhi last night, the official added.
After the incident was reported, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hit out at Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, accusing him of “not paying attention to law and order in Delhi” and “creating hurdles” in the functioning of his government. He had alleged that “jungle raj” prevails all over the city.
On the sidelines of the press brief on the triple murder, Delhi Police PRO Rajan Bhagat today said that the city has witnessed 10 per cent fall in murder cases compared to previous year.
He further said, in eight per cent cases, the killer is a close one and in 10 per cent cases, the accused and victim are found to be involved in sexual relationship. Around 17 per cent cases originate from sudden provocation.
When asked whether his comments were in context of the CM’s allegations of jungle raj in Delhi, Bhagat refused to comment.
New Delhi: The BJP has denied any hand in stopping the release of Anurag Kashyap’s Udta Punjab through the Censor Board. The party also slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s allegations on the Centre and said the Aam Aadmi Party survives by creating such controversies and claimed that Punjab has no drug problem, which the movie is based on.
“I completely reject it (charge) that the government has any role or intervened to stop its release. AAP survives on controversies. It creates controversies for political purpose,” Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy said at a party briefing.
Asked about the Central Board of Film Certification’s decision to withhold the film’s release unless certain scenes are cut, he parried the issue saying there must be norms and guidelines as per which it would censor a movie.
Asked whether he believed that Punjab suffered from drug problem, Mr Rudy said, “I don’t think there is any problem.” He said the Akali Dal-BJP government in the state was doing an “excellent work”.
He also accused AAP of having “double-standards” and referred to its stand on screening of ‘Buddha in a Traffic Jam’ whose maker Vivek Agnihotri is perceived to be close to the BJP.
Mr Rudy said AAP’s spokespersons kept “quiet” when screening of the film was interrupted and stopped due to protests by student groups in Jadavpur University.
“(Censor Board chief) Pahlaj Nihlani’s statement makes it amply clear that he has stopped the film on BJP’s instructions,” Mr Kejriwal tweeted earlier in the day.
The Censor Board’s objections to the Shahid Kapoor-Kareena Kapoor starrer movie have stirred a political row. Many Bollywood personalities have strongly backed the film and called for the removal of Pahlaj Nihalani.
Elections will be held in Punjab next year and the AAP, which has emerged as a strong player in the state, has made drug abuse a big issue and accused the Akali Dal leadership of promoting the illicit drug trade.
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has hit out at Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, accusing him of “not paying attention to law and order in Delhi” and “creating hurdles” in the functioning of his government.
In a letter to Mr Jung, Mr Kejriwal claimed that Delhi has become “extremely unsafe” discouraging tourists to visit the national capital and expressed concern over law and order situation.
The Delhi Chief Minister’s letter on Monday came in response to Mr Jung’s “two letters” seeking details about some officers and consultants appointed by the AAP government.Alleging that incidents of rape were rising in Delhi and there was spurt in crime, Mr Kejriwal said maintenance of law and order was the responsibility of the Lieutenant Governor. It appeared that there was no law and police and “jungle raj” prevailed all over the city, he said.
“I want to know what steps you have taken and will take in future to prevent rapes and improve the law and order situation in Delhi,” he asked.
He also sought to know from Jung whether he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the law and order issue.
Noting that maintenance of law and order in Delhi is also the responsibility of the central government, Mr Kejriwal asked the LG whether the PM and the Home Minister have ever expressed concern over “deteriorating law and order” in the capital.
“I hope that you will reply to my letter soon so that the people of Delhi could be informed about it (the law and order situation),” he said.Yesterday, Mr Kejriwal had accused PM Modi and Mr Jung of “failing to control deteriorating law and order”, saying that there was “complete jungle raj” in the city.
Bhagowal: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today hit out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claiming the Aam Aadmi Party leader has “no affection” for Punjab as he is from Haryana and his “sole” intention is to wrest power in the state to benefit “his native state”.
“Since Kejriwal hails from Haryana, he was naturally inclined towards safeguarding the interests of his state,” Mr Badal told a gathering during Sangat Darshan programme in Fatehgarh Churian Assembly in Bhagowal.
He cited the Delhi chief minister’s stand on SYL canal issue and said it will “deprive” Punjab of its water.
Earlier, while in Punjab, Mr Kejriwal had said the state does not have a single drop of water to spare (for Haryana), but later, in an affidavit in the Supreme Court on April 4, his government supported Haryana’s stand on completing the SYL canal.
“All Punjabis would have to struggle to save every single drop of water because if AAP and Congress succeed in their designs, none could save Punjab from becoming a desert,” he said.
Mr Badal’s offensive came as AAP has stepped up its campaign, targeting the SAD-BJP government over drug issue and agricultural distress, for the Assembly polls in the state due next year.
Mr Badal alleged while Congress signed various agreements to “deprive” Punjab of its waters, the AAP is now “trying its level best” to ensure they are implemented at the earliest.
Targeting Congress, he alleged it has never missed an opportunity to meddle in the religious affairs of the Sikhs, and said younger generation should not forget the action on the Golden Temple in 1984.
Mr Badal said the 1984 Sikh “genocide” after the death of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi badly “tormented” the community’s psyche and it’s “our duty” to sensitise the younger generation on this issue.
Listing out major initiatives taken by his government, the chief minister claimed that due to “concerted efforts” of the SAD-BJP alliance government, Punjab was today “only power surplus” state in the country.
New Delhi: Firing a fresh salvo at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday accused them of creating “hurdles” for the Delhi government.The attack came after Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of Delhi government launched a probe into an app-based premium bus service on a complaint of BJP legislator and Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, who alleged the AAP government wanted to launch the scheme to benefit a Gurgaon-based private bus aggregator.
The scheme was red-flagged by the Lt Governor on the ground that his approval was not taken before its launch.LG n Modi Govt aggressively start creating hurdles in Del Govt, almost in every file. Modiji bhi LG Ke Kandhe Par Rakh Kar Bandhukh Chalate hain,” Mr Kejriwal said in a tweet.The premium bus service was scheduled to be launched on Wednesday with registration of buses under the scheme through which people can book their seats on the lines of app-based cab aggregators in the national capital.
A senior Delhi government official alleged that a conspiracy is being “hatched” to delay the scheme under which people would be able to book their seats in buses through their smartphones on the lines of app-based taxi services in the national capital.Only air-conditioned buses would ply under the scheme according to which one bus aggregator will have to run at lease 50 vehicles to get a licence from Delhi government’s Transport Department. filed by BJP MLA Vijender Gupta who alleged that the Kejriwal government wanted to launch the scheme to benefit a Gurgaon-based private bus aggregator.
The Delhi Cabinet Wednesday discussed an ambitious app-based premium bus scheme after Lt Governor Najeeb Jung asked it to review the scheme again.Sources said the government will apprise Jung in a written communication as to why the city needs the app-based premium bus service which will help strengthen the public transport in the national capital.
The scheme could not be implemented on Wednesday after Jung asked the Delhi government to review it.The sources said that the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also discussed the sections of Motor Vehicles ACT under which the scheme was being introduced, adding that government may also seek people’s opinion to implement it.
Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of Delhi government has initiated a probe into the app-based premium bus scheme which was red-flagged by the Lt Governor on the ground that his approval was not taken before notifying it.Government has prepared a list of rationales behind the introduction of this scheme and they will soon be sent to the LG’s office,” they further said.Under the scheme announced by Transport Minister Gopal Rai last month, people can book their seats in a bus through their smartphone on the lines of app-based taxi services.Earlier in the day, ACB chief M K Meena ordered an inquiry into the scheme on the basis of a complaint filed by BJP MLA Vijender Gupta who alleged that the Kejriwal government wanted to launch the scheme to benefit a Gurgaon-based private bus aggregator.Download the Gadgets
New Delhi: In a stern warning to discoms, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said they will be made to compensate consumers for even one-hour-long outage if they do not spruce up their supply network in the next six months.The warning has come in the wake of Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) issuing an order to discoms and power distribution companies to compensate consumers for unscheduled outages extending up to two hours. Penalties can go up to Rs. 100 per hour.
Mr Kejriwal said there is need to make discoms “accountable for outages” and then, Delhiites will be benefited from the privatisation of power sector.For now, we have asked discoms to compensate consumers for unscheduled power cuts extending up to two hours, but after six months if there is no improvement in their power supply network, government will bring it down to one hour norm,” he said in New Delhi.
The privatisation of power sector had been done in order to provide better facility of electricity to Delhiites,” Mr Kejriwal said, adding that the accountability of power distribution companies will be questioned if power outages continue.Why electricity wires and transfers get damaged only in Delhi? Why is there no such incidents in Washington, London and New York?” he asked.
We will also make Delhi a world-class city and for this, the accountability of discoms should be fixed for power outages. They should be penalised for outages. There will then be benefit of privatisation of power sector in the national capital,” he added.As per the DERC’s order issued yesterday, power distribution companies will have to compensate to consumers for unscheduled power cuts extending up to two hours.The move followed frequent power outages this month in the midst of an intense heatwave. However, power companies had attributed the blackouts to local faults.
