Tag: aravind kejriwal

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Kejriwal: BJP using ‘Operation Jhadoo’ to crush AAP

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed that the arrest of his aide Bibhav Kumar was part of the BJP’s ‘Operation Jhadoo’ aimed at “crushing” AAP….reports Asian Lite News

The confrontation between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensified on Sunday following the alleged assault on Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed that the arrest of his aide Bibhav Kumar was part of the BJP’s ‘Operation Jhadoo’ aimed at “crushing” AAP by jailing its leaders, freezing its accounts, and evicting it from office.

Kejriwal led a protest march towards the BJP headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, but heavy police barricades halted the protesters about 50 meters from the office. Despite the obstacles, AAP maintained that they “waited for half an hour on the road for the police to come and arrest us, but the BJP accepted its defeat”.

Following Kumar’s arrest on Saturday, Kejriwal announced that AAP leaders would march to the BJP headquarters to challenge the Prime Minister’s intentions. The BJP ridiculed Kejriwal, suggesting his protest was ineffective and lacked support. They criticized him for not protesting similarly for his jailed colleagues Manish Sisodia and Satyender Jain, accusing him of defending his PA who allegedly assaulted Maliwal.

Shehzad Poonawalla, BJP’s national spokesperson, urged Kejriwal to address the assault allegations rather than engaging in theatrics. Maliwal also criticized AAP leaders, pointing out their previous advocacy for justice in the Nirbhaya case compared to their current support for her alleged assailant.

The Delhi Police seized electronic devices, including a CCTV DVR, from Kejriwal’s residence as part of their investigation into the alleged assault on Maliwal on May 13. AAP accused the police of planting stories about deleted CCTV footage, asserting that the footage had already been seized.

Maliwal accused Kumar of assaulting her at the Chief Minister’s residence. AAP refuted these allegations, claiming Maliwal was cooperating with the BJP to frame Kejriwal falsely. Addressing party workers, Kejriwal warned of greater challenges ahead, alleging that the Prime Minister aimed to destroy AAP through ‘Operation Jhadoo’. He claimed the BJP viewed AAP as a significant threat and was targeting its top leaders.

Kejriwal also suggested that AAP’s bank accounts would be frozen and that the party would be forced to vacate its office, accusing the BJP of fabricating cases against AAP leaders. The BJP responded by calling on Kejriwal to address the Maliwal incident directly. Poonawalla questioned Kejriwal’s involvement in the alleged assault and the missing CCTV footage.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari accused Kejriwal of protesting to protect Kumar, questioning why Kejriwal was silent on Maliwal’s allegations and instead supporting Kumar. Tiwari highlighted Maliwal’s injuries and asserted that the BJP could not remain silent on violence against women.

Kumar, arrested on Saturday, was remanded to five days of police custody for further investigation. The police collected electronic devices from Kejriwal’s residence to obtain footage of the alleged assault. AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj dismissed claims that CCTV footage was deleted, arguing that the police were creating stories to damage AAP’s image ahead of the elections.

In a post on X, Maliwal expressed regret that jailed AAP leader Manish Sisodia was not present to support her, reflecting on the party’s past efforts for justice compared to the current situation. She lamented that AAP, once united in seeking justice for Nirbhaya, was now defending an accused within their ranks.

Chandrapur [Maharashtra], Apr 8 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting for the Lok Sabha elections, in Chandrapur on Monday. (ANI Photo)

‘We had made the PM, not a police officer’

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that all AAP leaders were put in jail, adding, “Humne Pradhanmantri banaya tha, Thanedaar thodi lekar aaye the.”

Delhi CM addressed a rally in support of South Delhi Lok Sabha Seat candidate Sahiram Pahalwan today.

Kejriwal said that if people press the lotus button, he will have to go to jail again. But if they press the broom button, he will remain among them.

“They are after us. All the party leaders were put in jail. Yesterday, my PA was put in jail. And now they are saying that Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj will also be put in jail. Is this how the country runs? Humne Pradhan Mantri banaya tha, Thanedaar thodi lekar aaye the (We had made the Prime Minister, not a police officer),” he said.

“I ask for votes based on my work. After being in power for ten years, all you (PM Modi) are saying is ‘bhatakti aatma’, ‘nakli santaan’, and ‘mangal sutra’. What is all this?” he added.

Further, CM Kejriwal emphasised that on June 4, the Modi government will not come back.

“They also know this and that is why they are in shock. INDIA bloc government will be formed and Delhi will be given the status of full state. We have improved the electricity, water and health sectors in Delhi. When Delhi gets full statehood, law and order will also be improved. After June 4, Delhi’s LG will work for people. There will be a big change,” Kejriwal said.

The Delhi CM also alleged that his medicines were stopped when he was in Tihar jail.

“I gave free medicines for the whole of Delhi but when I went to Tihar, they stopped my medicines for 15 days. I have been a diabetic patient for 20 years. I have been taking insulin injections for 10 years. My injections were also stopped in Tihar. I kept pleading in front of them that give me an injection. But as soon as the public and media raised their voice, they started giving me the injection,” he added.

Earlier yesterday, exuding confidence in winning the Lok Sabha polls in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the Bharatiya Janata Party knows that on June 4, their government will not be formed.

Addressing the rally, he said, “Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se’, 25 May, BJP gayi. They (BJP) are after us, putting all the leaders of our party in jail. What is this? If you can’t win in Delhi, will you put everyone behind bars? I seek a vote based on the development work that our party has done. They know that on June 4, their government will not be formed. They also know that they will get fewer seats than 200.”

AAP’s Sahiram Pehelwan is in the electoral fray against BJP’s Ramvir Singh Bidhuri. (ANI)

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Kejriwal says Modi will follow own retirement rule

Arvind Kejriwal repeated his earlier claim that Amit Shah will become the next PM after Narendra Modi turns 75 in 2025….reports Asian Lite News

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday repeated his earlier claim that Amit Shah will become the next prime minister after Narendra Modi turns 75 in 2025 and that PM Modi never said that he would not retire when he hits 75 next year.

“When I said these points (PM Modi will retire next year to make way for Union Home Minister Amit Shah) in a press conference in Delhi, Amit Shah and several leaders stated that PM Modi should not resign at 75 and he will be fulfilling his term. I respect their emotions towards their leader. However, PM Modi did not say that he will not retire after turning 75. This is his own rule and I have full hope that he will be following it” Kejriwal said.

Addressing a joint press conference with INDIA bloc partner Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow today, the AAP leader said, “Otherwise, people will say that PM Modi made this rule to remove Advani.”

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief reiterated his claim that the Bharatiya Janata Party will be removing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from his post to make way for Amit Shah to be the next Prime Minister since PM Modi will be retiring soon as per his party’s retirement norms.

“In 2014, PM Modi made a rule that if anyone in the party is 75 years old, he will not be allowed to hold any post in the party or the government and will be made to retire. Following this, Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were made to retire…PM Modi will turn 75 on September 17, 2025. PM Modi has decided to make Amit Shah his successor and to make him Prime Minister on September 17, 2025. PM Modi is working on it for the last one-two years,” Kejriwal said.

“Those leaders who might have created obstacles for Amit Shah in the Bharatiya Janata Party have been sidelined. Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Vasundhara Raje, Dr Raman Singh were sidelined, Devendra Singh, Khattar were finished one by one. There is only one person who may be a thorn in Amit Shah’s way and that is Yogi Adityanath. They have made up their mind to remove Yogi Adityanath and if they form the government within two months Yogi Adityanath will be removed from the CM’s post,” he added.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, however, has expressed confidence of the BJP-led NDA returning to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asserted that PM Modi will continue to lead the BJP even after the next general elections.

“I want to make it clear again, Modiji will remain till 2029. And Kejriwalji, there is no good news for you. Even after 2029, Modiji is our leader. We will contest elections under his leadership,” Amit Shah told ANI in an interview that was aired on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal addressing today’s press conference further said that the BJP will win less than 220 seats in the Lok Sabha election as their seat tally will reduce substantially in states like Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

“The trends shows that BJP is getting less than 220 seats. Their seats are going to be reduced in Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Rajasthan. BJP is not going to form the government,” he said.

The Delhi Chief Minister said that the opposition INDIA bloc will win the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and cleanse the country of the “atmosphere of negativity” that was created by the BJP.

“INDIA bloc is going to form the government which will lead the country to progress. The atmosphere of negativity that was created in the country by the BJP will be corrected,” Kejriwal said.

Appealing to people in Uttar Pradesh to vote for the INDIA bloc, Kejriwal also said that the BJP if elected to power would be changing the Constitution and remove reservations of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.

Akhilesh Yadav who was also in the joint press conference made an interesting observation that the BJP is only aiming to win 143 seats, which is 400 deduced from the total of 543 seats.

“The BJP has been defeated and they are in tears. The Bharatiya Janata Party which was giving slogans of ‘400 Paar’ has now understood after four phases of elections…They are giving such slogans because out of a total of 543 seats they are looking only at seats beyond 400, that is 143 seats. So they are claiming themselves that they are not going to win more than 143 seats,” Yadav said.

Yadav said that the BJP will even struggle to win 143 seats and will be trapped in the fight to win 99 seats from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Punjab.

“They will even struggle to get 143 seats from 140 crore people. They will be trapped in the game of 99 seats of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Punjab. They will not be able to get anything from here,” he said.

Kejriwal met Yadav at the latter’s party office in Lucknow on Thursday.

The Supreme Court gave interim bail to the Aam Aadmi Party convenor till June 1 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the national capital. However, as per the terms of his bail, the Delhi Chief Minister cannot make any comment about his role in the Delhi liquor scam case. (ANI)

Delhi CM meets Akhilesh in Lucknow

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav at the latter’s party office in Lucknow on Thursday.

The leaders exchanged greetings with one another. The Aam Aadmi Party chief was accompanied by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh.

The Aam Aadmi Party and the Samajwadi Party are partners in the INDIA bloc in their fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Kejriwal and Yadav are scheduled to address a joint press conference in Lucknow.

Last week, the Supreme Court gave interim bail to the Aam Aadmi Party convenor till June 1 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the national capital. However, as per the terms of his bail, the Delhi Chief Minister cannot make any comment about his role in the Delhi liquor scam case.

Earlier on Wednesday, Kejriwal held a rally in the national capital in support of the Congress candidate from North West Delhi Udit Raj and the Congress candidate from North East Delhi Kanhaiya Kumar.

The Congress and AAP are contesting the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi in a seat-sharing arrangement in which AAP is contesting four seats whereas the Congress party is contesting three.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal exuded confidence in the alliance’s victory in the national capital after campaigning for the AAP and Congress candidates in Delhi. (ANI)

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ED opposes interim bail for Kejriwal

ED while filing an affidavit in Delhi’s excise policy case said a politician can claim no special status higher than that of an ordinary citizen…reports Asian Lite News

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Thursday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court opposing the grant of interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said a politician cannot claim a higher status than an ordinary citizen and was not entitled to differential treatment.

ED while filing an affidavit in Delhi’s excise policy case said a politician can claim no special status higher than that of an ordinary citizen and is as much liable to be arrested and detained for committing offences as any other citizen.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Dutta had hinted of granting interim bail to Kejriwal to enable him to campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Delhi. However, it had also said that if interim bail is granted, Kejriwal would not be allowed to discharge any official duties as Chief Minister.

On Wednesday it said that it may pass an order on interim bail to Kejriwal on Friday.

“Right to campaign for an election is neither a fundamental right nor a constitutional right and not even a legal right,” ED told the bench in its fresh affidavit.

No political leader has been granted interim bail for campaigning even though he is not the contesting candidate, said the ED, adding that even a contesting candidate cannot be granted interim bail for his own campaigning.

The Central agency said that there is absolutely no principle that justifies giving a differential treatment to a politician for campaigning over a farmer or a businessman who wishes to pursue his vocation.

“Grant of interim bail merely for political campaigning would militate against and will be discriminatory to the rule of equality as work/business/profession or activity of every citizen is equally important to him or her,” it added.

ED further stated that “any special concession in favour of the arrestee enlarging him on interim bail for campaigning in the general election would amount to anathema to the rule of law and equality and create a precedent which would permit all unscrupulous politicians to commit crimes, avoid investigation under the garb of election and upon arrested, seek interim bail to campaign for election.”

It would create two separate classes in the country viz. ordinary people who are bound by the rule of law as well as the laws of the country and politicians who can seek exemption from the laws with the hope of securing interim bail to campaign for elections, the agency submitted.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kejriwal had challenged a Delhi High Court judgement that dismissed his plea against arrest by the ED and his subsequent remand in the excise policy case.

Kejriwal, while filing an appeal in the apex court had contended that his arrest after the announcement of the General Elections is “motivated by extraneous considerations”.

On April 9, the High Court dismissed his plea for release from jail and rejected his argument of political vendetta amid the looming Lok Sabha elections.

The High Court had said that Kejriwal’s absence from nine ED summons over six months undermined any claims of special privilege as Chief Minister, suggesting his arrest was an inevitable consequence of his non-cooperation.

Kejriwal was arrested by ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering probe relating to alleged irregularities in the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy 2021-22. (ANI)

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No relief for Kejriwal, SC may hear case on May 9

The court said that if it gives interim bail to the Chief Minister, it does not want him to perform official duties as somewhere it will lead to conflict….reports Asian Lite News

The Supreme Court bench, which initially decided to pronounce its judgement on Tuesday on the interim bail plea of incarcerated Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case, will most likely take up the matter again on May 9 or the next week.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta was hearing CM Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the case.

CM Kejriwal promised the court to refrain from signing any official documents if granted interim bail in connection with the case. This assurance came through his counsel, Senior Advocate AM Singhvi.

Justice Khanna specifically pointed out the challenges related to CM Kejriwal’s participation in the upcoming elections and his engagement in official duties, underlining that his active involvement could lead to “cascading effects”.

Singhvi argued that CM Kejriwal was not a habitual offender and posed no threat to society, suggesting that his release would not be inappropriate.

CM Kejriwal said that he would not sign any official file given that the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) would not halt government work on the basis that files were unsigned by him.

Moreover, the bench put several questions before the agency in the pre-lunch session. It asked the federal probe agency why the CM can’t be released on interim bail in view of the ongoing general elections. The court also said that this is an extraordinary situation and that it is not like he is a habitual offender.

The probe agency opposed the grant of relief saying that it would set a wrong precedent and that politicians have no special rights as compared to normal citizens.

The petition was filed challenging the April 10 judgement of the Delhi High Court which dismissed his plea challenging the ED arrest. CM Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 and has been under custody since then.

Last time, the court had told Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), to get prepared on the question of interim release of the AAP supremo due to elections.

The bench had clarified that it was merely informing both sides to get prepared on the question of interim bail as the final hearing in the case could be prolonged. “If it (conclusion of hearing) is going to take time, it does appear it may take time, we may then consider the question of interim bail because of the elections,” the apex court had said. Further, it had asked ASG Raju to take instructions if CM Kejriwal, because of the position he holds, can be allowed to sign official files in custody.

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Mann tallest leader, but Kejriwal puts onus of naming CM on people

The 117-seat assembly will go to the polls on February 14. The results will be announced on March 10….reports Asian Lite News

Less than 24 hours after announcing that the AAP’s chief ministerial candidate for the Punjab assembly polls will be announced within a week’s time, the party’s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said state chief Bhagwant Mann is the tallest leader but he put the onus of naming the Chief Minister on the people.

Launching the ‘Janata chunegi apna CM’ drive in Mohali near here in the presence of state party president Mann and state in-charge Raghav Chadha, the Delhi Chief Minister asked the voters to opt for tele-voting at 70748-70748 till January 17 and name their choice for the Chief Minister.

“Often, it is seen that the relatives of politicians are made the CM face in some parties. Bhagwant Mann is very dear to us. He’s my younger brother and the tallest leader of the party. We had decided that he should be the CM face, but he said the people should choose their CM,” Kejriwal said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

Responding to this development, Mann told the media, “Kejriwal had suggested his name be declared as the CM face. I suggested the people of the state should be asked. Kejriwal agreed to my suggestion. The people will be assured of their choice.”

The 117-seat assembly will go to the polls on February 14. The results will be announced on March 10.

A multi-cornered fight is expected as the ruling Congress, the BJP and its allies, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Akali Dal and the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM), a group of farm organisations, are in the fray.

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Kejriwal slams Centre for blocking ‘ration at home’

Kejriwal said the Centre had put the scheme on hold a couple of days before it was supposed to launch across the national capital….reports Asian Lite News

If Pizza, Burger, Smart phones, clothes etc can be delivered at home, why not ration, said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, alleging that the Centre is “blocking” Delhi government’s “ration at home” scheme again.

Addressing a digital press conference, wherein he mainly focused on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kejriwal said the Delhi government will deliver ration to 70 lakh ration card holding residents in the national capital.

Referring to Modi, Kejriwal said, “Sir, you had objected that Delhi government’s door step ration scheme cannot be implemented in the name of ‘mukhyamantri ghar ghar ration yojana’, then we decided not to give any name to this scheme. You again stopped this important scheme saying the Delhi government has not taken the Centre’s approval. Sir, in the last few months, I have written 5 letters to you to seek your approval to run this scheme. Now what kind of approval the Delhi government needs from the Centre?”

Kejriwal said the Centre had put the scheme on hold a couple of days before it was supposed to launch across the national capital. He said that all the process to launch the scheme was completed, tenders were issued and the Delhi government was ready to run the scheme in the next one or two days, however, it was stopped by the Centre again.

However, this is not the first time when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Delhi government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled Centre came face to face on this ‘door step ration delivery scheme.’ Earlier in March this year, Kejriwal government was prepared to provide ration to the people of Delhi at their homes, the Centre had shown the red-flag, saying the scheme cannot be run by the Delhi government as it is under National Food Security (NFS) Act and hence it cannot be run under any other name.

Following this, Delhi cabinet on March 20 withdrew the name ‘mukhyamantri ghar ghar ration yojana’ saying the AAP government will not give any name to this scheme.

The scheme was announced on January 26 this year by Kejriwal during his Republic Day speech.

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