Page 24 - Aap

Punjab Assembly elections: AAP names candidates for all four seats

The AAP on Sunday released a list of candidates for the November 13 bypolls to four assembly seats in Punjab. The party shared the list on X. The bypolls to the four assembly seats were necessitated after MLAs representing them were elected to the Lok Sabha. The AAP has fielded Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, who joined the party after quitting the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in August, from Gidderbaha. Once considered close to SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, Dhillon (57) had unsuccessfully contested elections from Gidderbaha seat on the party's tickets in 2017 and 2022 and served as chairman of Muktsar district planning board. Gidderbaha seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring was elected to the Lok Sabha from Ludhiana early this year. The AAP has named Ishank Chabbewal, a doctor and the son of AAP Hoshiarpur MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal, as its candidate from Chabbewal (SC) segment. The Chabbewal bypoll was necessitated after Raj Kumar Chabbewal, who was a Congress

BJP's 'dirty politics' responsible for growing pollution in Delhi: Atishi

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Sunday said one of the biggest contributors to pollution in the Anand Vihar area is the influx of buses from other states, adding the Delhi government will engage with the Uttar Pradesh government to implement anti-pollution measures at their bus depot near the national capital. She made these remarks while inspecting pollution control measures at the Anand Vihar bus depot along with Environment Minister Gopal Rai. Highlighting the issue, Atishi said, "Anand Vihar, which lies on the Delhi-UP border, remains a hotspot where AQI levels are the highest. This area sees a large influx of buses from outside Delhi, and there is also the Kaushambi bus depot nearby. While Delhi runs CNG and electric buses, the Kaushambi bus depot receives diesel buses. We plan to engage with the UP government to implement pollution control measures there as well. Constructions by the NCRTC and RRTS has also contributed to pollution levels in the area, she said, adding the Delhi

Delhi school blast: NIA, NSG teams join probe; CM Atishi blames BJP

According to the Delhi police, no conclusive statement has been made yet on what caused the blast near the school

BJP protests outside Delhi CM's residence, demands tabling of CAG report

The BJP on Saturday held a protest outside the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Atishi in Civil Lines and demanded that the CAG report be tabled in the Delhi Legislative Assembly. The protest was led by BJP senior MLA and Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta. Gupta, hitting out at former Delhi chief minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, wrote on X, "Kejriwal, come to your senses! Call the assembly session immediately... Bring the CAG report on the table." The BJP has been calling out the AAP government for not presenting the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report in the Assembly for the last four years. According to officials, the CAG reports cover a variety of topics, including the state finances audit, the prevention of vehicular air pollution, public health infrastructure and services, the regulation and supply of liquor, as well as the finance accounts and appropriation accounts. Earlier, the office of Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena also wrote to Chief Secretary ...

Road side dust, vehicular pollution reasons for pollution: Environmentalist

The issue has now become a political controversy with BJP and Congress attacking AAP over their irresponsibility over the issue

AAP, Kejriwal to decide my future political roles: Satyendar Jain

Senior AAP leader Satyendar Jain on Saturday said his future political responsibilities will be decided by the party and its convener Arvind Kejriwal. The former Delhi Health minister was on Friday night released from Tihar jail after spending 18 months in the prison in a money laundering case. "I will do whatever our party and Arvind Kejriwal say," the AAP leader told PTI Videos when asked about his future political role. The Rouse Avenue court granted bail to Jain on Friday afternoon. He was one of the topmost AAP leaders and held various portfolios in the then Kejriwal government when he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in May 2022. "Atrocity is being done... it appears that the British rule has returned. The governments should compete on the work being done for the public. However, the BJP doesn't do that. They say we won't let you work," he said. Jain who is a MLA from Shakurbasti constituency, charged that he was arrested to stall Kejriwal and AAP government's wor

AAP may consider contesting couple of seats in Maharashtra: Goa chief

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has said it may consider fighting the next month's Maharashtra assembly elections on a couple of seats. The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP is part of the opposition's INDIA bloc. In Maharashtra, three constituents of the INDIA bloc - Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP) - are fighting the elections under the banner of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) against the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Addressing a press conference at Kudal in Maharashtra's coastal Sindhudurg district on Friday, AAP's Goa unit president Amit Palekar said his party is working on strengthening its base in the Konkan belt, particularly in Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts, and also in Kolhapur in western Maharashtra. The party has grown substantially in the Konkan belt, as the local population is looking at alternatives to BJP's Union minister Narayan Rane and his "politics of vendetta", he said. "The AAP stands strongly with the INDIA bloc allies for the November 20 Maharashtra elections but if politic

Was jailed to stall projects like Mohalla Clinics, Yamuna cleaning: Jain

Senior AAP leader Satyendar Jain, who came out of jail on Friday evening, said in his first reactions that he was arrested to stall the AAP government's projects such as Mohalla Clinics and Yamuna river cleaning. The former Delhi government minister also alleged that he and AAP leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh were arrested to dissuade common people from joining politics in the country. He charged that his arrest was part of an attempt to defame Kejriwal who is working hard to ensure the government works for common man and not for a few chosen ones. "We will continue our fight against injustice and work for the common man," Jain told a crowd of AAP leaders and workers outside the Tihar jail after his release. The AAP leader, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case in March 2022, was greeted by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, party leader Manish Sisodia, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and several MLAs and leaders. Jain

AAP resumes Jai Bhim, Farishtey Yojanas, accuses BJP of stalling them

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday announced the resumption of Jai Bhim Yojana and Farishtey Yojana and accused the BJP of deliberately stalling these initiatives after his imprisonment. Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said that the Jai Bhim Yojana was one of his government's major efforts to ensure equal education opportunities for underprivileged children. The scheme provides for financial assistance to students from SC, ST, OBC, and economically weaker sections for coaching in IITs and civil services exams. "Coaching for IIT and civil services is very expensive. Our responsibility is to provide equal opportunity for poor children, and this scheme was started to fulfil that purpose. However, after I went to jail, it was deliberately stalled. Today, we are restarting the scheme," Kejriwal said. The scheme will continue to offer a Rs 2,500 stipend to each student and there will be no cap on the number of beneficiaries, Kejriwal said. "We believe the government'

Court grants bail to AAP leader Satyendar Jain in money laundering case

A Delhi court on Friday granted bail to AAP leader and former Delhi cabinet minister Satyendar Jain in a money laundering case, citing "delay in trial" and his "long incarceration". Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on May 30, 2022, on the charge of laundering money through four companies allegedly linked to him. He is currently in judicial custody. "Considering the delay in trial and long incarceration of 18 months, and the fact that trail will take long to start, let alone conclude, accused is favourably suited for the relief," said Special Judge Vishal Gogne. The judge granted the relief on a bail bond Rs 50,000 with two sureties of like amount. The ED case stems from an FIR lodged against Jain by the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

AAP govt has no intention to reduce pollution, says BJP's Manoj Tiwari

Hitting out further, the BJP leader said that the health of Delhi citizens has been put at risk by AAP and Arvind Kejriwal

Was targeted by BJP for my efforts to serve Delhi's public: Kejriwal

He further argued that BJP targeted him and other AAP leader because of their efforts to serve the people of Delhi, specifically citing their work in education and healthcare

Delhi govt bans crackers to combat pollution, BJP seeks justification

The Delhi government on Monday imposed an immediate ban on the production, storage, sale, and use of all kinds of firecrackers across the city, effective until January 1. Reacting to the ban, the Delhi BJP questioned the rationale behind the annual restriction on firecrackers during Diwali and accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of implementing it without presenting any scientific evidence, according to a party statement. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai made the announcement and urged residents to support the government's efforts to curb air pollution. Rai in a post on X said, "In view of the increasing pollution in winter, a ban has been imposed on the production, storage, sale, and use of firecrackers from today till January 1." "The Delhi government has issued instructions regarding the ban, and we request the cooperation of all Delhiites," he added. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee has issued detailed instructions to ensure the effective implementation of th

Getting into such debates only benefits BJP: Bharadwaj on Kharge's remarks

This statement came amidst a heated political exchange between Congress President Kharge and Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Kejriwal hasn't established a single new college in last ten years: BJP

Sachdeva highlighted that, over the past decade, teachers and staff in these 12 government colleges have rarely received their salaries on time or in full

Kejriwal ready to share insights with Omar on running 'half-state' like J&K

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday congratulated National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah for winning the assembly elections and said that he should consult him in case he faces any problem in running a 'half-state' like Jammu and Kashmir. "Omar Abdullah is going to take over as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir in the next few days. I congratulate him for being the chief minister of the INDIA alliance. We will fully support him in running a successful government and hope Jammu and Kashmir treads the path of development under his leadership," Kejriwal. "Delhi is called a half-state because the chief minister had limited powers. Now they (BJP) have also turned J&K into a half state which means an elected government has minimum powers whereas the lieutenant governor has more powers. I want to tell Omar that if he faces any hardship in his work, consult me because I have run the government in Delhi for 10 years," added the former Delhi chief ...

LG, AAP trade charges over Flagstaff Road bungalow allotment to CM Atishi

The AAP dispensation indulged in "the most devious and diabolic" exercise to "mislead" people over allotment of 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow by "subverting" norms and procedures and "hiding facts", a statement from the LG office charged on Saturday. A day after the bungalow was allotted to Chief Minister Atishi, the LG office blamed her also of being part of the exercise. The bungalow where Arvind Kejriwal lived as the Delhi chief minister for nine years came into a full blown tussle involving the AAP, BJP and the LG office over its vacation and fresh allotment. "Within a span of just about 48 hours, when the house was handed over by Kejriwal and allotted to Atishi, the AAP, ministers and even the chief minister, resorted to the most devious and diabolic exercise of misleading the people of Delhi and the entire country by way of subverting norms and procedures, hiding facts to this effect and abusing the LG incessantly," alleged the statement. Sources at the Delhi Chief Minister's ..

Saurabh Bharadwaj alleges corruption in housing for poor, calls for probe

Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Saturday alleged a scam in the housing for the poor and said the DDA housing units meant for slum dwellers in the city are sold illegally to ineligible individuals. No immediate response was available from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the BJP on the allegations. Bharadwaj alleged in a press conference that these DDA flats are being sold to ineligible individuals, undermining the very purpose of the initiative aimed at aiding the poor. The slum dwellers, who have been displaced by the Central's government actions, were promised housing that is now falling prey to corruption and this cannot happen without the lieutenant governor's consent, he alleged. "These flats cannot be sacrificed to corruption without the consent of the Central government's DDA. Such a big scam and corruption were happening right under the nose of the BJP LG and it is not possible that Lieutenant Governor Vinay Saxena was not aware of it," he said. Bharadwaj also

AAP to appoint 11 volunteers for every booth to oversee voting in Delhi

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) plans to appoint 11 dedicated volunteers for every booth to oversee voting during the upcoming assembly polls in Delhi. These volunteers will also carry forward Arvind Kejriwal's message and the achievements of the AAP government, the AAP said in a statement on Friday. In a meeting held at the party headquarters here, AAP's National General Secretary (Organisation) and Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak took stock of the party's readiness for the poll and urged volunteers to remain resolute in their efforts to serve the people of Delhi, it said. "The AAP is fully prepared for the upcoming elections, and we will not rest until Arvind Kejriwal is re-elected as Chief Minister," Pathak said. As the elections approach, the party plans to deploy 11 volunteers at every booth, who will act as "soldiers on the ground", he added. According to the statement, Pathak also cautioned the party workers against falling into any BJP conspiracy, and focus solely on the welfare o

Delhi CM house row: PWD prepares list of items in Flagstaff Road bungalow

The Public Works Department (PWD) in Delhi has prepared an inventory of items in the 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow, officials said on Thursday. Two inventories, one before issuing of the vacation certificate to former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal after he vacated the bungalow and the other after his successor Atishi left it on Wednesday, were prepared and now the call will be taken on its fresh allotment, said a senior government officer. "A list of household belongings was prepared along with taking pictures and videos of the inside and outside of the property to make sure everything was in order," he said. The bungalow where Kejriwal lived as chief minister for over nine years has come in the eye of a storm with the chief minister moving in and out of it in quick succession. AAP has alleged that the LG, at the behest of the BJP, got the bungalow "forcibly" vacated. The BJP on the other hand has alleged that the bungalow was occupied by the chief minister without proper ...