Page 83 - Aap

AAP claims Congress leader has a 'deal' with BJP ahead of MCD mayor poll

"The Congress leader of the House in MCD Nazia Danish strikes the deal with BJP. And Congress decides to walk out to help BJP in MCD," claimed AAP

AAP govt's Rozgar Budget for Delhi yet to take final shape, says Report

The AAP government's ambitious Rozgar Budget (2022-23) presented in Delhi Assembly is yet to take shape, according to the outcome budget report of the government for first two quarters of the current financial year. Several of the schemes announced by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the Assembly for employment generation, including the food truck policy, market redevelopment, Rozgar Bazar portal, Delhi Bazar, among others, are at various levels of approvals, said the outcome budget report of first two quarters (April June and July-September) of 2022-23. Under the Rozgar Bazar portal for which Rs 12 crore was allocated in the budget, the cumulative number of employers and job seekers registered by September 2022, was 65,617 and 15,48,227, respectively. As against 10,31,277 cumulative job vacancies posted on the portal, the details of placements were not shared in the report. The Food Truck policy was notified in October 2022 as a scheme of tourism department. The draft

Raghav Chadha releases his Rajya Sabha report card, bags 100% attendance

The report card summarises Chadha's legislative performance, enlists the questions raised, issues raised, debates participated in, notices submitted under Rule 267 on matters concerning Punjab, India

Congress' income through electoral trusts less than TRS, SP, AAP: Report

The BJP received Rs 351.50 crore or 72.17 per cent of the total donations made to political parties by Electoral Trusts in 2021-22, while the Congress received less than the TRS, Samajwadi Party, AAP and the YSR Congress, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms. Electoral trust is a non-profit organisation formed in India for orderly receiving of contributions from corporate entities and individuals to political parties. It aims at improving transparency in the usage of funds for election-related expenses. The BJP received nineteen times more donations than the Congress in 2021-22 from electoral trust, the ADR data showed. The total donations to the BJP were over 2.5 times of what went to the other nine parties. The Association for Democratic Reforms, in its analysis of Electoral Trusts, said Rs 351.50 crore or 72.17 per cent of the total donations received by all political partiesin 2021-22 went to the BJP. According to ADR, the Congress received Rs 18.44 crore from .

AAP councillors will ensure landfill sites are cleared of garbage: Sisodia

Work at landfill sites in Delhi need to speed up and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will ensure that once the MCD councillors take oath next month, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday. Sisodia, along with nominated AAP's mayor and deputy mayor candidates -- Shelly Oberoi and Aaley Mohammad Iqbal -- visited the Okhla Landfill site to inspect the progress of work there. AAP councillors have started working even before taking oath. We visited the Okhla landfill site and inspected the progress here so far. Work needs to speed up and I am hopeful that after January 6, AAP councillors will ensure the same. We need to visit the landfill sites every week to ensure the height of the garbage mountains reduce, Sisodia said. Taking a dig at the BJP -- that was in power in the MCD for three consecutive terms -- Sisodia said it will not take 15 years for the AAP to clear the landfill sites. It will not take us 15 years to clear the landfill sites. BJP was in power for 15 years in t

2022: The year when three faces defined politics with an eye on elections

Kejriwal, Murmu, Kharge: A vote against 'establishment' politics; a new definition of tribal identity; a leadership shift that wasn't quite

BJP fields Shalimar Bagh councillor Rekha Gupta for Delhi Mayor polls

The BJP on Tuesday decided to field its Shalimar Bagh councillor Rekha Gupta as its Delhi Mayor candidate to challenge AAP's Shelly Oberoi in the January 6 elections. The BJP has also named Kamal Bagri as deputy mayor candidate as well as Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Gajendra Daral and Pankaj Luthra for standing committee member posts, said Delhi BJP media cell head Harish Khurana. All the party candidates will later on the day file their nominations. The AAP has a clear majority in the 250-member Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House. Some party leaders claimed that an intense contest could be witnessed for the mayor as well as deputy mayor posts since the anti-defection law does not apply to the MCD and floor crossing could be possible. The AAP ended the BJP's 15-year-rule in the MCD winning 134 of the 250 wards in the civic body polls earlier this month. The BJP managed to win 104 wards. Later, Mundka councillor Gajendra Daral also joined the BJP. Though the Delhi BJP is unlikely

A question of transitivity: Why predicting electoral outcomes is hazardous

Voter behaviour is as unpredictable as the crow on a tree. You don't know in which direction it will fly off

New parties came to Gujarat, were wiped out: Amit Shah taunts AAP

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday targeted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying that new parties came to Gujarat, made tall claims and promised guarantees ahead of the Assembly elections, but were wiped out after the results. In a virtual address to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Surat, he also said that the party's landslide victory in the state proves that Gujarat was and will always remain the saffron outfit's stronghold. "New parties came to Gujarat, made tall claims and gave guarantees, but after the election results they were wiped out," Shah said. In the recently-concluded Gujarat Assembly elections, the BJP scripted history by winning 156 out of the total 182 seats. The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, which ran a high-decibel campaign and made several poll promises, managed to win only five seats, while the Congress party finished second by bagging 17 seats. "This historic win (of the BJP) gave a message to the country that Gujarat was, is and will always be BJP's ...

AAP challenges BJP to field their own candidate for MCD mayor post

The Aam Aadmi Party Saturday claimed the BJP will support an Independent candidate for Delhi mayor and challenged it to field its own candidate for the top MCD post. At a press conference, senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha claimed the BJP has said it would not field any candidate for the mayor's post. "We have heard that the BJP is supporting an Independent candidate for the mayor post. What are they scared of that they are not fielding their own candidate?" he asked. The AAP Friday finalised six names as its candidates for various MCD posts, including that of mayor and deputy mayor, with Shelly Oberoi emerging as the choice for the top post in the civic body. On December 7, the AAP won the MCD polls with 134 seats, ending the 15-year rule of the BJP in the municipal corporation and reducing the Congress to just nine seats in a house of 250.

Aam Aadmi Party announces candidate for Delhi mayoral election on Jan 6

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday announced Shelly Oberoi as its candidate for the post of Mayor and Aaley Muhammad Iqbal for the Deputy Mayor post

AAP used excise scam to generate illegal funds, caused Rs 2,873 cr loss: ED

The ED has claimed in its charge sheet before a court here that the Delhi Excise Policy, which caused total loss of Rs 2,873 crore to govt exchequer, was a device created by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, some of who are part of Delhi government, to generate illegal funds. In its first charge sheet filed in the scam, the agency alleged that the constitution of expert committee and calling of public opinion were merely eyewash and their reports were never to be implemented. The policy was formulated with deliberate loopholes, inbuilt mechanism to facilitate illegal activities and is marred with inconsistencies which when looked deeply, reflect malafide intentions of the policymakers, it alleged. This policy promoted cartel formations through back door, awarded exorbitant wholesale (12 per cent) and huge retail profit margin of 185% and incentivized other illegal activities on account of criminal and political conspiracy of leaders of AAP, it alleged, adding that the 12 per cent profi

Delhi LG asks chief secy to recover Rs 97 cr from AAP for advertisements

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has directed the chief secretary to recover Rs 97 crore from the AAP for political advertisements it published in the guise of government advertisements in 2016, official sources said on Tuesday. The development comes days after the AAP wrested power from the BJP in the MCD polls. The AAP alleged that the LG gave the order on the saffron party's directions and claimed that Saxena has no power to issue such a directive. The opposition BJP in Delhi welcomed the LG's directions and claimed that the amount to be recovered from the ruling party will rise to Rs 400 crore. At a press conference held here, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri alleged an "advertisement scam" and demanded a CBI inquiry into it. The LG in his orders to the chief secretary also directed that all advertisements since September 2016 be referred to the Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising (CCRGA), set up by the Ministry of Informatio

BJP should give Rs 22,000 cr first: AAP after LG orders to recover Rs 97 cr

After Delhi Lt Governor asked Chief Secretary to recover Rs 97 crore from AAP for political advertisements which it published as govt advertisement, AAP said that BJP should give Rs 22,000 crore first

Delhi L-G asks chief secy to recover Rs 97 cr from AAP for political ads

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has directed the chief secretary to recover Rs 97 crore from the Aam Aadmi Party for political advertisements it published in the guise of government advertisements, official sources said on Tuesday. Identifying specific advertisements published by the government which were in "stark violation of guidelines", a Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising had in 2016 directed the Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP) to quantify the amounts spent by it in such advertisements and recover the same from the ruling AAP, they added. The DIP quantified that Rs 97,14,69,137 had been spent or booked on account of "non-conforming advertisements". "Of this, while payments amounting to over Rs 42.26 crore had already been released by the DIP, Rs 54.87 crore for advertisements published were still pending disbursal," a source said. The DIP in 2017 directed the AAP to pay over Rs 42.26 crore to the state exchequer immediately and direct

Delhi L-G cannot pass such orders, says AAP on direction to pay Rs 97 cr

The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday said Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has no power to pass orders directing the chief secretary to recover Rs 97 crore from the party for "political advertisements". Addressing a press conference here, AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj termed the LG's direction a "new love letter". "The BJP is flustered that we have become a national party and wrested power from it in the MCD. LG sahab is doing everything in accordance with the BJP's directions and that is troubling the people of Delhi. The more worried Delhi's people are, the happier the BJP gets," Bhardwaj claimed. He further said that the LG's directions would not stand in the eyes of law. "The Delhi LG has no such power. He cannot issue such directions. These won't stand in front of the law. Other state governments also issue advertisements. The BJP's various state governments issued advertisements that have been published here. We want to ask when will the Rs 22,000 crore spent on the .

AAP prepares pitch for 2024 elections at its National Council met

The meeting concluded with the National Council noting the party's achievements over the last decade and passing resolutions against rising inflation and unemployment and Chinese aggression

Delhi LG V K Saxena approves appointment of several officers in MCD

Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena has approved appointment of several officers in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, officials said on Saturday. These appointments have been done after selection through a "duly laid down procedure" through open advertisements, shortlisting by a selection committee on the basis of weightage provided to prefixed criteria and interviews, they said. The LG has "approved the appointment of three additional deputy commissioners/joint assessor and collector, and 19 administrative officers/assistant assessor and collectors in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)," a senior Raj Niwas official said. Ever since taking over as the LG, Saxena has been pitching for efficiency in MCD and had instructed officials to fill up vacant posts at the earliest, he said. "Appointed on deputation from other government services and departments like CSS, IRS, NDMC, CAG, CGST & CE and Income Tax Deptt. etc., these officers will help the understaffed Corporation to a large ...

Visit each street, get it cleaned in your presence: Delhi CM to councillors

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday asked the newly-elected AAP councillors to visit every colony in their ward and get it cleaned in their presence. The Aam Aadmi Party won 134 wards in the recently-concluded Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls and ended BJP's 15-year rule. The BJP won 104 wards, while Congress could only win nine. "We all have to clean Delhi together. I appeal to all councillors -- go to each and every street, colony in your ward and get it cleaned in your presence," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. The first meeting of the newly-elected MCD will be convened on January 6 next year.

Graft issue hurt AAP in MCD polls, effect to be more in 2-3 yrs: BJP leader

The corruption issue raised by the BJP against the Arvind Kejriwal government had an impact in the MCD polls and the effect will magnify in two to three years when the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls are held, the party's Delhi unit working president Virendra Sachdeva claimed Wednesday. "(Prime Minister) Narendra Modi is the leader of everyone in the BJP and the rest of us are just workers," he said, adding the party's vote share will be boosted by increasing awareness among people about various benefits Delhi has received from the Central government's initiatives. Under Modi's leadership, BJP leaders and workers will work towards ensuring that the party wins all seven parliamentary constituencies in Delhi and better its 52 per cent vote share of the last Lok Sabha polls in the next general elections, Sachdeva told reporters. Sachdeva took over as working president of the Delhi BJP last Sunday after Adesh Gupta stepped down following the party's defeat in the Municipal Corporation of .