Arvind Kejriwal Archives - Read Selective

AAP pitches for Arvind Kejriwal as prime ministerial candidate for INDIA bloc

The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday pitched for Arvind Kejriwal as the prime ministerial candidate for the opposition INDIA bloc, saying that as Delhi chief minister he has given a model that the whole country can benefit from.

The party’s chief national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar told PTI that Kejriwal has always presented a budget that is “in profit and pro-people”.

Her comments came a day ahead of the INDIA alliance’s meeting in Mumbai during which the opposition leaders are expected to chalk out a joint campaign strategy to take on the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and iron out the differences among themselves.

To a question on who should be the prime ministerial candidate for the INDIA alliance, Kakkar said, “As a spokesperson, I would propose our national convener Arvind Kejriwal’s name.” She said Kejriwal has constantly raised the issues of the people and “has given a model” which has led to the least inflation in Delhi.

“He has given a model that benefits the people. I would want it to happen but the decision is not in my hands,” the AAP’s chief spokesperson said.

Source: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/lok-sabha-elections/aap-pitches-for-arvind-kejriwal-as-prime-ministerial-candidate-for-india-bloc-11283471.html

Congress chief dials Kejriwal after CBI summons AAP leader, calls for Oppn unity

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge called Arvind Kejriwal and emphasize the need for opposition unity after CBI issued summons to Delhi CM.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has been called for questioning as a witness on Sunday by CBI (Twitter/@AamAadmiParty)(HT_PRINT)

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge telephoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday, a day after the AAP convenor was summoned by the CBI, and stressed the need for opposition parties to unite against the BJP ahead of the 2024 general elections, sources said.

Kharge is learnt to have expressed solidarity with Kejriwal, who will appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for questioning in the Delhi excise policy case on Sunday, they said.

The CBI on Friday summoned Kejriwal to answer queries of the investigating team as a witness in the excise policy case. His former deputy Manish Sisodia was arrested in the case last month.

Kharge’s outreach is part of the Congress’ efforts to bring several like-minded parties together on a common platform in their fight against the BJP.

The Congress president will be hosting a meeting of senior leaders of various parties in the next few days to chalk out a common programme. Kharge has already spoken to a number of opposition leaders.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/congress-chief-dials-kejriwal-after-cbi-summons-aap-leader-calls-for-oppn-unity-101681572764601.html

Arvind Kejriwal Summoned By CBI In Delhi Liquor Policy Case On Sunday: 10 Points

The CBI is investigating allegations that the liquor policy implemented by the Delhi government last year gave undue advantages to private retailers.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been summoned by the CBI for questioning over alleged corruption in the capital’s now-scrapped alcohol sales policy that led to the arrest of his deputy Manish Sisodia in February, sources have told NDTV.

Here are the latest developments in this story:

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked Mr Kejriwal to appear for questioning on Sunday, sources said, making it the first instance in recent memory where a Chief Minister has been summoned by the central agency in an investigation.
Sources in the agency said they have uncovered fresh evidence and have grounds to question the Chief Minister now. They said the date was set for Sunday so that it does not disrupt the Chief Minister’s work.
Arvind Kejriwal is yet to comment on the CBI’s move but in the past has said, “There is no such thing as a liquor scam”. The AAP has dismissed the charges as “vendetta” and efforts by the BJP, which governs at the centre, to target one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s most vocal critics.
“Not a single leader of the AAP will be intimidated by these motivated charges. Many of our ministers, leaders and members have been targeted in the past. Our fight against the most corrupt government of PM Modi will go on,” senior party leader Sanjay Singh said.
The CBI is probing allegations that the liquor policy implemented by the Delhi government last year, which ended government control over the sale of liquor in the capital, gave undue advantages to private retailers.
Alleging the involvement of the “highest levels” of Mr Kejriwal’s government in the swindle, the agency has claimed crores in kickbacks were paid for favours in the policy and funnelled into his Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) election campaign in Goa last year.
Manish Sisodia’s arrest in February was the highest-profile arrest in the case so far. The following month, he was arrested while still in jail by the country’s financial crime-fighting agency Enforcement Directorate, which is probing allegations of money laundering in the case.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/arvind-kejriwal-summoned-by-cbi-in-delhi-liquor-policy-case-on-sunday-sources-3948446

Only Bhagwant Mann may take oath on Mar 16

Chief Minister-elect Bhagwant Mann will submit his resignation as the Member of Parliament from Sangrur on Monday. Sources in the Aam Aadmi Party have told The Tribune before Mann takes the oath of office and secrecy as the Chief Minister on March 16, he will submit his resignation. The deliberations on the new Cabinet and Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha, too, are to be held tomorrow.

Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/only-mann-may-take-oath-on-mar-16-377558

5 kids among 7 killed in northeast Delhi slum inferno

A cluster of 60 hutments in north-east Delhi’s Gokulpuri turned into a death trap for seven, including five children, early Saturday morning when a fire at the entrance of the settlement cut off their escape, sealing their fate. Having probably started from a heap of trash, the blaze spread across the entire area with people – jolted out of sleep – scrambling to get away in the dark as the power went off. Four people suffered burns.

The fire department received a call around 1am and it took them around 2-3 hours to completely douse the fire. Thirteen fire tenders were rushed to the spot and cooling operations continued till noon. The cause of the fire is still being investigated but prima facie it appears it started from that trash heap which had inflammable material.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal reached the slum cluster by noon and announced compensation for the victims – Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of each adult who died, Rs 5 lakh each for families of the children who died and Rs 25,000 for each shanty that was gutted.

The first fire tender had reached by 1.18am. Around 1.50am, more fire tenders were pressed into service. The road leading to Gokulpuri village was uneven, making accessing the area difficult for the fire tenders. Senior fire official Rajesh Shukla explained that when a fire breaks out in a slum, it spreads in all directions and one cannot decide on the line of attack.

In this instance, since the fire started at the front and there are buildings at the rear, people found it difficult to get away. The lanes are anyway narrow and congested. The flames fed on two heaps of trash – one of tyres and discarded rubber material and the other of cardboard stacks – posing a big challenge to the firefighters. “Rubber flames not only rise quite high, but are also toxic,” said Shukla.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/5-kids-among-7-killed-in-north-east-delhi-slum-inferno/articleshow/90177964.cms

Next on AAP’s radar: Gujarat and Himachal

In Gujarat, where elections are expected this year-end, the party is already on campaign mode as it seeks to capitalise on its moment in history by filling the space vacated by a diminishing Congress.