Page 85 - Arvind Kejriwal

Reflects BJP's 'desperation': AAP slams CAG audit in Kejriwal's renovation

The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday condemned the Centre's decision to initiate a CAG audit into the reconstruction expenses of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's official residence, saying the move "reeks of desperation" as the BJP anticipates a defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll. The ruling party's sharp reaction came after Raj Niwas officials informed the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India will conduct a special audit into the alleged "irregularities and violations" in the "reconstruction" of the chief minister's residence. The Union home ministry has recommended the special CAG audit taking note of a May 24 letter by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena which pointed out the "reconstruction" "gross and prima facie financial irregularities" in the "reconstruction" of the chief minister's official residence, the officials claimed. "This move by the Modi government reeks of desperation as the BJP anticipates an inevitable defeat in the upcoming 2024 general elections. As far as the C

BJP legislators protest near Kejriwal's residence over power tariff hike

Delhi BJP legislators on Tuesday staged a sit-in near Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence in the Civil Lines area over hike in the electricity tariff in the city. Power tariff has been increased three times from what it was before 2014, said led Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, who led the protest. Electricity distribution companies here have increased the power purchase adjustment cost (PPAC) by upto more than nine per cent following approval of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission, DERC, which would result in a hike in the monthly bills of consumers not getting subsidy. The BJP will continue to protest against the PPAC hike unless it is reversed by Kejriwal government, Bidhuri said. "Why Kejriwal who frequently calls special sessions of the Assembly on different issues is not convening a special session now to discuss the electricity rates?" a protesting BJP MLA asked, with many echoing this. The Aam Aadmi Party government always claims th

'Jungle raj' in Delhi, people feeling unsafe, alleges CM; Lekhi hits back

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday targeted the Centre and the Lt Governor over Delhi's law-and-order situation following a robbery inside the Pragati Maidan tunnel, claiming "jungle raj" was prevailing in a city gearing up for the G20 Summit. He asserted that if the AAP government is given the charge of law and order, it will make Delhi the "safest city" in the country. Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi hit back, claiming that Kejriwal wants control over the city's law and order "to protect his corrupt ministers and MLAs". A delivery agent and his associate were allegedly robbed of Rs 2 lakh at gunpoint by four motorcycle-borne men inside the Pragati Maidan tunnel. Five people have so far been arrested in connection with the Saturday incident. Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of an event to inaugurate new electric vehicle charging stations, Kejriwal said, "It seems that the Centre does not have a solid plan to improve the law-and-order situation in Delhi. "Some men ..

CAG to conduct audit into 'irregularities' in Delhi CM residence renovation

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India will conduct a special audit into alleged "irregularities and violations" in the "reconstruction" of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, Raj Niwas officials said on Tuesday. The Ministry of Home Affairs had recommended the special CAG audit after taking note of a letter it received on May 24, officials at Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena's office said. The letter was received from the LG office and it pointed out "gross and prima facie financial irregularities" in the "reconstruction" of the chief minister's official residence, they claimed. No immediate reaction was available from the CM's office or the ruling Aam Aadmi Party.

Coaching centre fire: ABVP protests near Kejriwal's home over negligence

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad activists protested near the official residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday accusing his government of being "negligent" in implementing fire safety measures at coaching centres of the city. A fire had broken out at a building housing coaching institutes in northwest Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar area on June 15. Students of coaching institutes smash windows, climbed down ropes and took the help of ladders in desperate attempts to escape the blaze. The ABVP activists staging the protest in north Delhi's Civil Lines area accused the AAP government of being "anti-students" and blamed it for "negligence" in fire safety measures across the coaching hubs in the national capital. They also demanded compensation for those injured in the Mukherjee Nagar fire incident. The agitators said that security personnel were deployed at the protest site in large numbers and extra barricades were placed there. "There has been negligence on the part of

Jungle raj prevailing in Delhi as it gears up for G20 Summit: CM Kejriwal

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday targeted the Centre and the Lt Governor over Delhi's law-and-order situation following a robbery inside the Pragati Maidan tunnel, claiming "jungle raj" was prevailing in a city gearing up for the G20 Summit. If given the charge of law and order, the AAP government will make Delhi the "safest city" in the country, he claimed. A delivery agent and his associate were allegedly robbed of Rs 2 lakh at gunpoint by four motorcycle-borne men inside the Pragati Maidan tunnel. Five people have so far been arrested in connection with the Saturday incident. Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of an event to inaugurate new electric vehicle charging stations, Kejriwal said, "It seems that the Centre does not have a solid plan to improve the law-and-order situation in Delhi. "Some men carried out a robbery inside the Pragati Maidan underpass. The G20 Summit will be held near the underpass. People are feeling unsafe in Delhi. This is 'jungle raj'," t

Delhi EV capital with highest number of electric vehicles: CM Kejriwal

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said Delhi has become the country's EV capital with the highest number of electric vehicles being bought in the city. Speaking at the inauguration of 42 charging stations, Kejriwal also claimed that pollution levels in the national capital have declined since 2014. "We started promoting EVs to curb pollution and keeping in mind that they are the future. We framed a policy in 2020 for EVs and set a target that, by 2025, one-fourth of all vehicles bought in Delhi will be electric," Kejriwal said. The Delhi EV Policy was launched in August 2020 with the aim of establishing the city as the country's EV capital and accelerating the pace of EV adoption across vehicle segments, especially in the mass category of two-wheelers, public and shared vehicles and goods carriers. "...I am happy to share that 13 per cent of all the vehicles bought in Delhi are electric ones. Since August 2020, 1.28 lakh electric vehicles have been bought in Delhi," he furt

Arvind Kejriwal promises to redevelop all MCD schools in 5 to 7 years

The AAP government has bridged the gap between the rich and the poor in Delhi's education system by improving government schools, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday, promising to redevelop all MCD schools in the next five to seven years. He was speaking after inaugurating Sarvodaya Co-ed school in Libaspur village. Its classrooms, labs, library and halls are far better than those in private schools of Delhi, he said. Earlier, the condition of government schools in Delhi used to be terrible. Classes were held inside tents, ceilings of schools were broken. There were no toilets or facility even drinking water. Poor families were compelled to send their children to such schools but the AAP government bridged the gap between the rich and the poor in education in Delhi, Kejriwal said. He further said the AAP government has been focusing on improving schools run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. "We have started focusing on redeveloping MCD schools and it will take at le

CM Kejriwal demands L-G Saxena's resignation over Pragati Maidan robbery

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday demanded Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena's resignation after a video purportedly showed armed men intercepting a car inside a busy tunnel in the heart of the city and robbing its occupants at gunpoint. According to police a delivery agent and his associate were allegedly robbed of Rs 2 lakh by the four unidentified men inside the Pragati Maidan tunnel Saturday when the two were going to Gurgaon in a cab to deliver the money. Sharing a video of the purported incident, the chief minister reiterated his demand that Delhi's law and order should be handed over the local government. "LG shud resign. Make way for someone who can provide safety n security to the people of Delhi. (sic)," he said in a tweet, tagging a news report. "If Central govt is unable to make Delhi safe, hand it over to us. We will show u how to make a city safe for its citizens (sic)." The 1.5-km tunnel connects New Delhi with Sarai Kale Khan and Noida. Last week, Kejriwa

Opposition unity: Is well begun, half done?

Previous experiments with Opposition unity have shown that forming an alliance does not ensure electoral victory by itself. Public perception of the incumbent leader and the govt also has to change

Manipur is burning: AAP hits back at Rajnath as he takes on Mann govt

I think that Rajnath Singh has received the wrong information about Punjab. In Punjab the law and order situation has improved under the AAP-Bhagwant Mann government, Chadha said

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Need to forget differences: Kejriwal tells Rahul over Centre's ordinance

Amid confusion over the Congress' stance on the Centre's Delhi ordinance, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal told Rahul Gandhi to forget the differences and move forward together at the opposition meeting in Patna, AAP sources said on Saturday. "Arvind Kejriwal spoke directly to Rahul Gandhi (on the ordinance matter) and said if there is any issue, they can resolve it over tea. In the opposition meeting on Friday, Kejriwal said there is a need to forget the differences and move forward together," a party source said. Given the situation, he said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is yet to decide if it will attend the opposition parties' next meeting scheduled in Shimla. The plan of action is expected to be formulated at another meeting to be chaired by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, tentatively on July 10 or 12, in Shimla. Drawing the battle lines, opposition parties had on Friday resolved to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unitedly in 2024 Lok Sabha elections at the crucial meeting in

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It'll be BJP vs 15 in 2024 LS polls: Oppn parties resolve to stay united

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he attended the meeting without "memory" of past likes or dislikes and prejudices

All-party Opposition meet ahead of 2024 elections today; all you must know

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar is hosting the crucial meeting in which most of the non-BJP parties are taking part as they plan to take on the BJP in the next year's general election

Decision on Delhi ordinance issue will be taken before Parl session: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said a decision on whether to oppose the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in Delhi would be taken before the Parliament session. His remarks come a day after the AAP's ultimatum that it will walk out of the Opposition meeting in Patna if the Congress does not promise its support over the issue. Asked about the ordinance issue and AAP's ultimatum, Kharge, before leaving for Patna this morning, said his party would take a decision on it before Parliament's Monsoon session and wondered why it was being talked about elsewhere when it was a matter that pertains to Parliament. "Opposing it or proposing it does not happen outside, it happens in Parliament. Before Parliament begins, all parties decide what issues they have to work on together. They (AAP) know it and even their leaders come to our all-party meetings. I don't know why there is so much publicity about it outside," Kharge said. "About 18-20 parties dec

'We want to fight together...': Kharge ahead of Opposition meet in Patna

Leaders of Opposition parties from across the country are set to meet in Patna to chalk out a strategy to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls

Focus on law and order: Health Min Saurabh Bhardwaj responds to L-G Saxena

Bharadwaj said that the officers had misinformed LG Saxena about the factual condition

Delhi L-G raises concern over inordinate delay in govt's hospital projects

The LG claimed that work under former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's tenure was much better in the health sector