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Aam Aadmi Party
In a setback to the Aam Aadmi Party on the eve of MCD bypolls, its senior leader and former two-time MLA Rajesh Gupta joined the BJP here on Saturday. No reaction from the AAP was immediately available over the development. Gupta, who was also a national spokesperson and incharge of the Karnataka unit of AAP, joined the BJP in the presence of Delhi state president Virendra Sachdeva. Sachdeva welcomed Gupta into the BJP fold by offering him the party's stole, said a statement released by the Delhi BJP. The Delhi BJP president said that the AAP leaders were now listing shortcomings and problems in Delhi that were all created during the 12-year rule of their party, and yet they were questioning an eight-month-old government of the BJP. Gupta alleged that the "biggest reason" behind the "downfall" of the AAP and its leader, Arvind Kejriwal, was treating workers in a "use and throw" manner. According to the statement, "While joining the BJP, Rajesh Gupta became emotional as he recalle
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday launched a scathing attack on opposition parties Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Congress, accusing them of "looting" the state for decades. He claimed that while these parties mismanaged Punjab's resources, the AAP is working "tirelessly" to restore the state's dignity and prosperity. Mann was canvassing for AAP candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu in Panjwad, Thathi Sohal, and Jhabal Kalan ahead of the November 11 bypoll in the Tarn Taran assembly seat, which was vacated following the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal in June. Targeting both Congress and the Akali Dal, Mann said, "They sold Punjab's assets, but we are reclaiming its pride." He further criticised SAD leaders Sukhbir Badal and Bikram Majithia, as well as Congress leaders Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Partap Singh Bajwa, saying they had no moral authority to speak about Punjab's welfare. Highlighting his government's achievements, Mann emphasised that AAP has provided .
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday questioned the Delhi government's recent cloud seeding exercise, saying no rainfall was recorded despite claims of artificial rain and raising doubts over the feasibility of such experiments in the national capital. The Delhi government, in collaboration with IIT-Kanpur, conducted cloud seeding trials on Tuesday in some areas, including Burari, north Karol Bagh and Badli, after a gap of 53 years. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said in a statement that the initiative aimed to explore scientific solutions for reducing air pollution in the city. "Preliminary analysis indicates a reduction in particulate matter concentrations in the regions where the trials were conducted, even though weather conditions were not ideal for rainfall," he said. Addressing a press conference, AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "For the past few days, it was said that cloud seeding had been done in various areas of Delhi, but there was no rain ...
The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Monday witnessed bedlam over the issue of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik's detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA). NC MLA from Banihal, Sajjad Shaheen, demanded a one-hour discussion on the Doda MLA's detention last month under the stringent act. However, BJP MLA from Udhampur East, R S Pathania, said invoking PSA is a district magistrate's prerogative. This led to an uproar from many members from the treasury benches, and the lone Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) MLA from Langate, Sheikh Khursheed. The members were up on their seats. Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather rose from his chair, directing the members to take their seats. Independent MLA from Shopian, Shabir Kullay, protested and tried to enter the well of the House. However, the Speaker said nobody will enter the well, asking the members to keep the decorum of the House. "Let him (Pathania) speak even if you don't like what he says," the Speaker added, and allowed the BJP MLA to continue. Pa
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal and party leaders on Monday dispatched one lakh letters, signed by residents, to the Goa chief minister, complaining about the "poor" road conditions in the coastal state. Kejriwal, on the final day of his Goa visit, flagged off a tempo laden with letters in front of the party's office here to be transported to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's residence. Talking to reporters, the former Delhi chief minister said, "I was always told that the road conditions in Goa are bad. I have personally experienced it now during my visit." He claimed that he was late to a function by one and a half hours on the first day of his visit, as he had to take a longer route to reach the venue to avoid pothole-ridden roads. Kejriwal said that the AAP had initiated a campaign against poor roads under the banner "BJP Che Burak", which fetched one lakh signatures from families. "Out of three and a half lakh families in Goa, one lakh have signed. This means one
Union Minister B L Verma on Saturday claimed that farmers have "lost faith" in the AAP government in Punjab and want compensation for damages caused by the recent floods to be deposited into their accounts. On the Punjab government asking when the Centre will release the Rs 1,600 crore relief package, Verma said, "The state government does not need to worry... they will not be given (the money). We will give it to farmers." Verma, who was visiting flood-hit areas in Gurdaspur district, told reporters that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while visiting flood-hit Punjab, had announced a Rs 1,600 crore package in addition to the Rs 12,000 crore already in the state's kitty. He said Modi had asked concerned officials to carry out an assessment of damages in a transparent manner. After the completion of the assessment, the Modi government will pay the compensation, Verma asserted. The minister, however, claimed that the farmers have "lost faith" in the state government, and they are sayin
The AAP on Saturday reiterated its allegations of "vote theft" in the Delhi assembly elections and claimed that the Election Commission was covering up irregularities and withholding information on voter deletions. This comes two days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of protecting those behind "vote theft" and claimed that the names of party voters were being systematically deleted from the electoral rolls in Karnataka. The Election Commission (EC) dismissed the former Congress chief's allegations as "incorrect and baseless", stressing that no deletion of votes can take place without following due process. Addressing a press conference on Saturday, AAP's Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said the party had flagged "vote-chori" in the high-profile New Delhi constituency, which saw a contest between AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, BJP's Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma and Congress' Sandeep Dikshit in the February polls. "We even submitted
Punjab cabinet minister Aman Arora on Monday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce a relief package of at least Rs 20,000 crore for the flood-ravaged state during his visit. PM Modi will visit Punjab on September 9 to take stock of the flood situation. "Even though the PM has not uttered a word yet for the flood-hit Punjab, he is our PM and I welcome him with folded hands for his visit.I also expect that he should be seen standing by Punjab during his visit," Arora told reporters here. Referring to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's recent letter to the PM demanding Rs 60,000 crore of the state's funds, Arora said it is Punjab's right and it should be released. A few days ago, Mann had written to Modi to release Rs 60,000 crore of the state's funds, which he claimed were "stuck" with the government of India while highlighting that Punjab was grappling with one of the worst flood disasters in decades. Noting that the prevailing flood situation was even worse than the 198
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday dispatched trucks carrying relief materials from Delhi to flood-hit Punjab, with the party's state president Saurabh Bharadwaj leading the first consignment. Kejriwal, in a post on X, said, "AAP's Delhi state president Saurabh Bhardwaj is reaching Punjab with flood relief materials. From Delhi, every day, our leaders, MLAs, MPs, and common people will also go to Punjab with trucks carrying flood relief materials and provide their services there." "Many RWAs and businessmen are also contributing at their levels. People from across the country are extending their support to Punjab. The entire country stands with Punjab," he said. AAP's Punjab chief Manish Sisodia said party leaders and workers were coming forward "with open hearts" to help the flood-affected. "Today, Delhi state president Saurabh Bharadwaj is reaching Punjab with relief materials," he posted on X. In a separate post, the party said, "The Punjab that has always helped everyone,
The BJP on Tuesday said the Enforcement Directorate's raids against AAP Delhi unit chief and former health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj have exposed the "medical scam" under the previous Arvind Kejriwal government. The AAP government in Delhi was involved in the "scam" in the construction of hospitals and purchase of medicines and equipment. An investigation into the "scam" in purchase of medicines is already being conducted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said in a video statement. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is searching the premises of Bharadwaj and some private contractors as part of a money laundering probe linked to an alleged scam in health infrastructure projects during the previous AAP government in Delhi, official sources said. At least 13 locations in the National Capital Region are being searched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, they said. "We have said it earlier also that the previous AAP government led by Arvind ..