Page 69 - Aap Government

AAP support base increasing in Gujarat with BJP targeting Italia: Gopal Rai

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday defended AAP Gujarat unit chief Gopal Italia on the row over his alleged derogatory remarks and hit out at the BJP leaders, alleging they keep insulting the country throughout the year and hurl abuses on anyone they want. Replying to questions at a press conference, he said the release of Italia's videos and his detention by Delhi Police here on Thursday only shows how scared the ruling BJP is of the growing support base of the AAP in Gujarat ahead of the assembly polls in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also surrendered as the BJP has nothing else to say after ruling Gujarat for 27 years, he said. BJPians are insulting the country 365 days round the year...They hurl abuses on anyone they want but their videos are not released, Rai said when asked for his reaction on purported videos where Italia was seen making derogatory remarks against prime minister Modi, and mocking his 100-year-old mother. The purported videos have no

CP smog tower has noticeable impact on Delhi air pollution: Gopal Rai

The smog tower at Connaught Place here has a noticeable impact on air pollution up to a distance of 300 metres, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Friday. Within a radius of 50 metres, the giant air purifier is able to cut down air pollution by 70 to 80 per cent. It reduces pollution levels by 15 to 20 per cent beyond 300 metres, he told reporters. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated the over 24-metre-high smog tower at Connaught Place on August 23 last year. The city government had formed a team of experts from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, IIT-Bombay, NBCC and Tata Projects to study its impact over two years. Officials had earlier said the Rs 20 crore smog tower can purify the air in a one-km radius at a rate of around 1,000 cubic metres per second. Rai said the construction of more smog towers in the capital would depend on the success of the pilot project. The smog tower at Baba Kharak Singh Marg has 5,000 coarse filters and 5,000 fine filters develo

Gujarat AAP chief appears before NCW, detained by Delhi Police for 2.5 hrs

AAP Gujarat unit chief Gopal Italia was on Thursday detained for more than 2.5 hours by the Delhi Police after he appeared before the National Commission for Women (NCW) in connection with his alleged comments against PM Narendra Modi amid protests by party members outside the women's panel's office here. Italia claimed that he was "threatened and treated indecently" by NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma after he appeared before her "as he is a Patidar and his community members have come out in support of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party" ahead of the elections. The NCW chief denied the allegations, saying Italia was given "enough time" to reply on his abusive tweet but his oral and written statements were completely contradictory. According to senior police officials, a complaint was received claiming Italia's supporters were creating ruckus outside the NCW building following which a team of police reached the spot and detained him. Italia, who was later released by police, made the ...

AAP Gujarat chief appears before NCW, claims he was not person in video

AAP Gujarat unit president Gopal Italia on Thursday appeared before the National Commission for Women (NCW) following his alleged comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid protests by party members outside the women's panel's office here. NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma had summoned Italia for using "abusive & indecent language" against PM Modi and said his comment was "gender biased, misogynist & condemnable". She told reporters after the hearing that Italia had claimed that he was not the person in the video in a verbal statement. However, in his written response, he said he did not mean it. While Italia's hearing was going on, AAP supporters protesting outside tried to enter the NCW building and police had to be called to restrain them, a NCW official said. According to the official, Italia was detained after the hearing for "creating a situation that disrupted law and order in the area". BJP's IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya had on Sunday shared a video on Twitter ...

SC to hear Satyendar Jain's plea against transfer of bail plea on Tuesday

Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Satyendar Jain has moved the Supreme Court against the transfer of his bail plea in a money laundering case to another judge, on the ED's request

Delhi AAP minister resigns post controversy over religious conversion event

Delhi minister Rajendra Pal Gautam on Sunday resigned from his post, amid a controversy over his presence at a religious conversion event where Hindu deities were allegedly denounced. The BJP had attacked him and the Aam Aadmi Party after a video went viral showing him attending the event on October 5 where hundreds took a pledge to convert to Buddhism and not consider Hindu deities as gods. He had accused the BJP of spreading "rumours" against him and had apologised to "anyone who has been hurt due to such propaganda". In a letter shared on Twitter, he said that he has resigned. "I do not want my leader Shri Arvind Kejriwal or the party to be in any trouble because of me. I am a true solider of the party and I will follow the ideals shown by Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Gautam Buddh throughout my entire life," he said.

I'm sent by God to end Kansa's descendants: Kejriwal on Gujarat posters

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said he was born on Janmashtami and God has given him a special task to finish off "descendants" of demon Kansa on a day posters calling him "anti-Hindu" surfaced in Gujarat. Claiming that the posters and banners have used words which are insulting to God, the Delhi chief minister said that the people of Gujarat will not pardon those who have used such words. "I would like to tell them that I was born on Krishna Janmashtami. And God has sent me with a special task-- to finish off these descendants of Kansa, to rid the public of corruption and hooligans," he said. "We will work together to fulfil God's desire. God is with me. People are with me. People want a change, which is why they are so upset," he said on the first day of his latest visit to poll-bound Gujarat. Banners terming Kejriwal "anti-Hindu" and showing him wearing a skull cap surfaced in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, and Vadodara cities on Saturday. Along with Kejriwal's pictures, som

AAP minister's presence at conversion event sparks row, BJP seeks removal

Aam Aadmi Party leader Rajendra Pal Gautam purportedly denouncing Hindu deities at a religious conversion programme held in the national capital recently has come under criticism by the BJP

Take cognizance of Sisodia's 'baseless' letter: Delhi L-G tells Kejriwal

Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena has asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to take cognizance of the "baseless" letter written by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia

BJP slams AAP govt over stubble burning in Punjab, tweets pictures

BJP on Friday attacked the Aam Aadmi Party tweeting pictures of what it alleged was stubble burning in Punjab and accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of doing little to tackle the issue. The AAP dispensation has in the past accused neighbouring states, including then-Congress ruled Punjab, of being responsible for the high levels of winter pollution in Delhi with unchecked burning of stubble taking place in these states. With reins of Punjab now in AAP's hands, BJP has taken to attacking the Kejriwal-led party. North East Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari accused Kejriwal of having a "casual approach" towards the issue of air pollution. "What is this @ArvindKejriwal? Delhi is suffering because of you and your casual approach towards governance! Every year it is the same story & same excuses, now you have a full fledge (sic) punjab govt under you but still delhi (sic) continues to suffer When will you start working for delhi (sic)?" Tiwari said in a tweet, sharing pictures of ...

Order CBI probe into Rs 6,000-cr MCD tax scam: Sisodia writes to Delhi L-G

In August, Sisodia had alleged a massive Rs 6,000 crore toll tax scam in a letter to Saxena, and demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal attends Dussehra festivities at Red Fort

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday attended Dussehra festivities at the historical Red Fort ground here. Speaking at the Lav Kush Ramlila Committee's 'Ravan Dahan' programme, Kejriwal wished for India to become the "best and strongest nation in the world". He said Ramlila is very important for the people as it connects them to the culture of the country and spreads the message of Lord Rama's life. Ramlila is the enactment of the victory of good over evil in the Hindu epic of Ramayana. The chief minister also witnessed the burning of the effigies of demon king Ravana, his brother Kumbhkaran and son, Meghnad. Actor Prabhas of 'Baahubali' fame also attended the event. 'Ravan Dahan' programmes were organised by different Ramlila committees at the Red Fort area that drew huge crowds after a two-year lull due to the Covid pandemic.

LG points out Delhi CM's absence at Gandhi-Shastri birth anniversary events

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers of showing "utter disregard" towards the commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi and former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries on October 2. In a letter, the LG said neither Kejriwal nor his ministers were present at Raj Ghat and Vijay Ghat, memorials to Gandhi and Shastri, even as President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and representatives of foreign missions in India among others were there to pay homage. The LG noted that Kejriwal's deputy Manish Sisodia was "perfunctorily present" there for a few minutes, but "did not deem the occasion fit enough to stay the course". The LG also said that such derelictions should be avoided in future.

Gujarat: Ex-state home minister's son, ex- CM's daughter, others join AAP

A former Congress leader. the daughter of a former chief minister and a Dalit writer on Monday joined the Aam Aadmi Party in Gujarat, where elections are likely to be held in December. Chetan Raval, son of former state home minister Prabodh Raval and a former president of a city unit of the Congress, had resigned from the party on Saturday and joined the AAP claiming he was encouraged by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's "people-oriented approach". He said the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state and at the Centre as well as the Congress had failed to solve people's issues. His father Prabodh Raval was the home minister of the state in the 1980s under Madhavsinh Solanki and was also two-time Congress state unit president. Nita Mehta, daughter of former chief minister Chhabildas Mehta, also joined the AAP a day after meeting Kejriwal, who was on a two-day visit to the state on Saturday and Sunday. A social worker, Mehta said she was joining AAP due to Kejriwal's ...

Delhi Excise Policy case: Court extends Vijay Nair's CBI custody till Oct 6

A Delhi Court on Monday extended Vijay Nair, communication strategist of AAP to CBI remand till October 6

Delhi's education revolution made infra of schools world-class: Sisodia

Delhi's "education revolution" has made the physical infrastructure of the schools world-class and empowered students with a strong growth mindset, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Friday. Sisodia, who is also the city's education minister, visited Sarvodaya Co-Ed School, I P Extension, on Friday and interacted with students there. "This is the achievement of the Delhi education revolution that not only have we made the physical infrastructure of the schools world-class, but have also empowered students with a strong growth mindset. This change has been made possible due to the hardwork of the team education of Delhi," he said. Sisodia said it is was matter of great pride and happiness that students studying in Delhi government schools have started dreaming big. "Our children are not only dreaming of becoming surgeons, space scientists, athletes, politicians, entrepreneurs, teachers, IAS officers but also working hard to fulfill it." During the discussion on careers, ..

Delhi L-G shoots another letter to Kejriwal on tree felling for development

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has again written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal pointing at the "unwarranted delay" in permitting the felling of trees and their translocation, saying this has stalled several critical development projects in the city, officials at the LG Office said on Friday. Saxena also raised the issue with Kejriwal during the weekly meeting on Friday evening, they said. Fifteen major projects involving the felling of trees and translocation of over 8,000 trees are stalled as the government is yet to give permission, they claimed. There was no immediate reaction from the government to the LG's letter. According to the officials, the LG has in his letter highlighted the wastage of public money and cost overruns due to such unwarranted delay and has stressed the need to fix accountability. On August 17, the LG had shot a similar letter to Kejriwal, but it has failed to evoke any response from the government, they said. "Any kind of indecision in such mat

AAP Gujarat co-incharge Raghav Chadha likely to be arrested: Kejriwal

Preparations are underway to arrest Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha since he was appointed as the party's co-incharge of political affairs in Gujarat, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed on Friday. Kejriwal, however, did not specify which agency was working on the alleged plan to arrest Chadha and on what charges. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia alleged that the BJP wanted to prevent its defeat in Gujarat by getting AAP leaders arrested, claiming that people of the state wanted to give their mandate to Kejriwal this time. Chadha, a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, put up a brave face and said he was neither afraid of going behind bars or even facing death sentence. The BJP has lost sleep seeing the growing support base of the AAP in Gujarat, he claimed. Chadha, who is credited with playing a significant role in the AAP's victory in the assembly elections in Punjab earlier this year, was recently appointed as co-incharge of the party's political affairs in

ED gets 8 days custody of liquor bizman Mahendru in money laundering case

A Delhi court Wednesday remanded liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru in eight days custody of the of the Enforcement Directorate for alleged money laundering. Mahendru, the managing director of Indospirit, a liquor distributor, was arrested by ED in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. ...The accused is being remanded to the custody of ED for eight days, i.e, till October 6, 2022, Special Judge M K Nagpal said. The court noted Mahendru was arrested only on Wednesday morning and the investigation was at a nascent stage. Noting that the accused has not cooperated in the probe so far, the court said his custodial interrogation was required to ascertain the exact volume and extent of the laundered proceeds of crime. It said he was required to be confronted with the huge physical and digital records which were claimed to have been seized during the searches conducted by the agency. His interrogation

Delhi Excise policy case: Court sends Vijay Nair to five-day CBI remand

A Delhi court sent Vijay Nair, communications chief of the AAP, to CBI remand for five days in the Delhi Excise Policy case