Twenty lawmakers of the Aam Aadmi Party were disqualified on Sunday by the President acting on the recommendation of the Election Commission. The legislators have been disqualified for holding &lsquo;offices of profit.&rsquo; They had been appointed &lsquo;Parliamentary Secretaries&rsquo; by the Delhi government headed by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. The Delhi High Court set aside the appointments in 2016 and the Aam Aadmi Party would have perhaps thought that&rsquo;s that. Expect that it wasn&rsquo;t. The Election Commission acted on the letter of the law and now many observers and, of course, the Aam Aadmi Party, are claiming that the spirit of the law has been violated.

So did the Election Commission wake up one fine morning and say - &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll huff and I&rsquo;ll puff and I&rsquo;ll blow your house down&rdquo;? Anyone familiar with the goings-on of Nirvachan Sadan would agree that its not how the Election Commission works at all. Most decisions are based on precedent and following the letter of the Constitution and the laws therein to the T. It is an institution that is admired for its impartial conduct and, come elections, it does not shy away from taking uncomfortable decisions in replacing top officials in a state, should they feel that such officials would impede the conduct of free and fair polls.

The appointments as Parliamentary Secretaries were made in March 2015, the AAP sought to exempt theMLAs by amending the provisions of the Delhi Members of Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) Act 1997, in 2016 &mdash; a year later. The bill seeking the amendments was struck down by the then President, Pranab Mukherjee.

So why then is the disqualification of these 20 MLAs being branded as an excess? Would similar questions have been raised if the members were from the Bharatiya Janata Party? Is it playing into the politics of Centre Vs State and then some? After all, Delhi&rsquo;s state government has gone toe-to-toe with the Lieutenant Governor over the past 3-4 years and the relationship between this state government and the Centre has been tenuous, to say the least. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has branded the disqualification of AAP MLAs as &lsquo;Tughlaqshahi of the worst order&rsquo;. The reference to a former Sultan of Delhi is ironic - the Chief Minister is also branded as a despot by many within his own ranks and is capable of, shall we say, whimsical behaviour. AAP founder-member, and now a staunch Kejriwal critic, Kumar Vishwas says his opinion on the appointment of the parliamentary secretaries was disregarded.

AAP is now pinning its hopes on the Delhi High Court which will examine the decision not just on the principles of natural justice but also under the provisions of laws like the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 and Article 239 AA of the Constitution which deals with Centre-State relations.

If the disqualification holds, then Delhi is heading for a mini-poll of sorts in six months to elect 20 lawmakers. The chief minister and his ilk can continue to cry foul, suggest the Election Commission is in cahoots with the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre and perhaps garner some sympathy (and votes too).

Meanwhile, even with its diminished strength of 45, the Aam Aadmi Party has a comfortable majority in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. Assuming that AAP loses the contest for all 20 seats, while it will be a loss of face, that majority wouldn&rsquo;t change. This churn may also give Arvind Kejriwal a chance to consolidate his flock and inject some fresh loyalists in the party that has been badly plagued with dissension.

Not just an open revolt by Kumar Vishwas who is still smarting from being denied a Rajya Sabha ticket, but the Aam Aadmi Party also has Kapil Mishra and Devendra Sehrawat who are MLAs but have been suspended from the party. Some other lawmakers like Asim Ahmed Khan have been dumped as ministers. The by polls, if won, would not just serve as a referendum of Arvind Kejriwal&rsquo;s policies in government but would also keep detractors at bay.

So what has the Chief Minister to lose from this disqualification? Nothing at all. No matter how the cookie crumbles, it is a win-win situation for Arvind Kejriwal.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

AAP is now pinning its hopes on the Delhi High Court which will examine the decision.

Twenty lawmakers of the Aam Aadmi Party were disqualified on Sunday by the President acting on the recommendation of the Election Commission. The legislators have been disqualified for holding ‘offices of profit.’ They had been appointed ‘Parliamentary Secretaries’ by the Delhi government headed by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. The Delhi High Court set aside the appointments in 2016 and the Aam Aadmi Party would have perhaps thought that’s that. Expect that it wasn’t. The Election Commission acted on the letter of the law and now many observers and, of course, the Aam Aadmi Party, are claiming that the spirit of the law has been violated. So did the Election Commission wake up one fine morning and say - “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down”? Anyone familiar with the goings-on of Nirvachan Sadan would agree that its not how the Election Commission works at all. Most decisions are based on precedent and following the letter of the Constitution and the laws therein to the T. It is an institution that is admired for its impartial conduct and, come elections, it does not shy away from taking uncomfortable decisions in replacing top officials in a state, should they feel that such officials would impede the conduct of free and fair polls. The appointments as Parliamentary Secretaries were made in March 2015, the AAP sought to exempt theMLAs by amending the provisions of the Delhi Members of Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) Act 1997, in 2016 — a year later. The bill seeking the amendments was struck down by the then President, Pranab Mukherjee. So why then is the disqualification of these 20 MLAs being branded as an excess? Would similar questions have been raised if the members were from the Bharatiya Janata Party? Is it playing into the politics of Centre Vs State and then some? After all, Delhi’s state government has gone toe-to-toe with the Lieutenant Governor over the past 3-4 years and the relationship between this state government and the Centre has been tenuous, to say the least. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has branded the disqualification of AAP MLAs as ‘Tughlaqshahi of the worst order’. The reference to a former Sultan of Delhi is ironic - the Chief Minister is also branded as a despot by many within his own ranks and is capable of, shall we say, whimsical behaviour. AAP founder-member, and now a staunch Kejriwal critic, Kumar Vishwas says his opinion on the appointment of the parliamentary secretaries was disregarded. AAP is now pinning its hopes on the Delhi High Court which will examine the decision not just on the principles of natural justice but also under the provisions of laws like the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 and Article 239 AA of the Constitution which deals with Centre-State relations. If the disqualification holds, then Delhi is heading for a mini-poll of sorts in six months to elect 20 lawmakers. The chief minister and his ilk can continue to cry foul, suggest the Election Commission is in cahoots with the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre and perhaps garner some sympathy (and votes too). Meanwhile, even with its diminished strength of 45, the Aam Aadmi Party has a comfortable majority in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. Assuming that AAP loses the contest for all 20 seats, while it will be a loss of face, that majority wouldn’t change. This churn may also give Arvind Kejriwal a chance to consolidate his flock and inject some fresh loyalists in the party that has been badly plagued with dissension. Not just an open revolt by Kumar Vishwas who is still smarting from being denied a Rajya Sabha ticket, but the Aam Aadmi Party also has Kapil Mishra and Devendra Sehrawat who are MLAs but have been suspended from the party. Some other lawmakers like Asim Ahmed Khan have been dumped as ministers. The by polls, if won, would not just serve as a referendum of Arvind Kejriwal’s policies in government but would also keep detractors at bay. So what has the Chief Minister to lose from this disqualification? Nothing at all. No matter how the cookie crumbles, it is a win-win situation for Arvind Kejriwal. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Undue process? Why AAP MLAs being disqualified is a win-win situation for Arvind Kejriwal

Rebel BJP leaders Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha have come out in support of the AAP over the disqualification of its 20 MLAs with the former calling the president&#39;s decision a &quot;tughluqshahi&quot; order.

In a major setback to the ruling AAP in Delhi, President Ram Nath Kovind has disqualified 20 of its MLAs for holding offices of profit, a decision the party said showed that the constitutional authorities were behaving like &quot;handmaidens of the central government&quot;.

Kovind gave his assent on Saturday to the recommendation in this regard by the Election Commission.

&quot;The president&#39;s order is a complete miscarriage of natural justice. No hearing, no waiting for high court&#39;s order. It is Tughluqshahi of the worst order,&quot; Yashwant Sinha tweeted.

BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha said the &quot;politics of vendetta&quot; against the AAP would not last long.

&quot;Politics of vendetta or politics of vested interests just don&#39;t last long. Don&#39;t worry, be happy!,&quot; he said on Twitter.

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&lsquo;AAP&rsquo; Aaye, 
&lsquo;AAP&rsquo; Chhaye, 
&lsquo;AAP&rsquo; hi &lsquo;AAP&rsquo; Charcha ke Vishaye (talk of the town)!! 
 
Ghar ghar mein, 
Har khabar mein, 
Toh phir kis baat ki fikar &lsquo;AAP&rsquo; ko? 
 
Politics of vendetta or politics of vested interests just don&rsquo;t last long. 
Don&rsquo;t worry, be happy!
&mdash; Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShatruganSinha/status/954931448129011713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&quot;Hope, wish &amp; pray that you get divine justice soon, sooner the better. &#39;AAP&#39; ki team aur khaas kar &#39;AAP&#39; ko bahut bahut badhaai. Remember, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Satyameva Jayate! Jai Hind!&quot; he said in a series of tweets.

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Hope wish &amp; pray that you get divine justice soon, sooner the better . 
 
&lsquo;AAP&rsquo; ki team aur khaas kar &lsquo;AAP&rsquo; ko bahut bahut badhaai. Remember, when the going gets tough the tough get going. 
 
Satyameva Jayate! 
Jai Hind!
&mdash; Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShatruganSinha/status/954931856662605824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Both the leaders, who were part of the Atal Behari Vajpayee cabinet, have openly aired their displeasure against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government&#39;s policies.&nbsp;

'The president's order is a complete miscarriage of natural justice. No hearing, no waiting for high court's order. It is Tughluqshahi of the worst order," Yashwant Sinha tweeted.

Rebel BJP leaders Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha have come out in support of the AAP over the disqualification of its 20 MLAs with the former calling the president's decision a "tughluqshahi" order. In a major setback to the ruling AAP in Delhi, President Ram Nath Kovind has disqualified 20 of its MLAs for holding offices of profit, a decision the party said showed that the constitutional authorities were behaving like "handmaidens of the central government". Kovind gave his assent on Saturday to the recommendation in this regard by the Election Commission. "The president's order is a complete miscarriage of natural justice. No hearing, no waiting for high court's order. It is Tughluqshahi of the worst order," Yashwant Sinha tweeted. BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha said the "politics of vendetta" against the AAP would not last long. "Politics of vendetta or politics of vested interests just don't last long. Don't worry, be happy!," he said on Twitter. ‘AAP’ Aaye, ‘AAP’ Chhaye, ‘AAP’ hi ‘AAP’ Charcha ke Vishaye (talk of the town)!! Ghar ghar mein, Har khabar mein, Toh phir kis baat ki fikar ‘AAP’ ko? Politics of vendetta or politics of vested interests just don’t last long. Don’t worry, be happy! — Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) January 21, 2018 × "Hope, wish & pray that you get divine justice soon, sooner the better. 'AAP' ki team aur khaas kar 'AAP' ko bahut bahut badhaai. Remember, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Satyameva Jayate! Jai Hind!" he said in a series of tweets. Hope wish & pray that you get divine justice soon, sooner the better . ‘AAP’ ki team aur khaas kar ‘AAP’ ko bahut bahut badhaai. Remember, when the going gets tough the tough get going. Satyameva Jayate! Jai Hind! — Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) January 21, 2018 × Both the leaders, who were part of the Atal Behari Vajpayee cabinet, have openly aired their displeasure against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government's policies.

Yashwant, Shatrughan back AAP over MLAs' disqualification

The Election Commission on Friday recommended disqualification of 20 Aam Admi Party MLAs for holding office of profit. \

Although the Arvind Kejriwal party has decided to take recourse to legal action, it has asked its disqualified members to be prepared to face legal and electoral action.

A by-poll is likely to be conducted in 6 months&#39; time.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, AAP moved the Delhi High Court seeking a relief, the matter was postponed and is now slated for a hearing tomorrow.

The party may also move the Supreme Court in the absence of a favourable ruling by the apex court.

&quot;We hope to get justice on the court. Even if we don&#39;t get justice then we will go to the people&#39;s court which is the highest court,&quot; said Madanlal, who represented the Kasturba Nagar constituency prior to his disqualification.

&quot;If we don&#39;t get a positive ruling then we will go to the people&#39;s court,&quot; noted Sarita Singh who represented Rohtas Nagar noted.&nbsp;

Alka Lamba, who represented Chandani Chowk, said the disqualified lawmakers have confidence in the judiciary but are also ready to go back for a fresh mandate.

The party met the disqualified lawmakers twice in the last couple of days.

(With inputs from PTI)

 
&nbsp;

The party met with the disqualified lawmakers twice in the last couple of days.

The Election Commission on Friday recommended disqualification of 20 Aam Admi Party MLAs for holding office of profit. \ Although the Arvind Kejriwal party has decided to take recourse to legal action, it has asked its disqualified members to be prepared to face legal and electoral action. A by-poll is likely to be conducted in 6 months' time. Meanwhile, AAP moved the Delhi High Court seeking a relief, the matter was postponed and is now slated for a hearing tomorrow. The party may also move the Supreme Court in the absence of a favourable ruling by the apex court. "We hope to get justice on the court. Even if we don't get justice then we will go to the people's court which is the highest court," said Madanlal, who represented the Kasturba Nagar constituency prior to his disqualification. "If we don't get a positive ruling then we will go to the people's court," noted Sarita Singh who represented Rohtas Nagar noted. Alka Lamba, who represented Chandani Chowk, said the disqualified lawmakers have confidence in the judiciary but are also ready to go back for a fresh mandate. The party met the disqualified lawmakers twice in the last couple of days. (With inputs from PTI)

AAP asks disqualified MLAs to be prepared for legal & electoral battles

In a preliminary report released by the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (DSIIDC),&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bawana-fires-delhi-government-announces-ex-gratia-5-lakh-to-next-kin-of-victims-1-lakh-to-injured-30259" target="_blank">AAP government</a> has blamed the BJP led civic body for the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-fire-kills-17-2-jump-from-terrace-sustained-injuries-30212" target="_blank">fire at Bawana factory</a>.

The DSIIDC said in its report that it does not have any regulatory functions and it is not authorised to issue any type of license or permission for factory construction.&nbsp;

It said it is primarily involved in organised and orderly development of industrial estates.

The report was submitted to Delhi industries Minister Satyendra Jain who said that the municipal corporation holds the responsibility of issuing license and approving building plans.&nbsp;

He added that they&nbsp;have the authority to stop any illegal factory from building in the industrial area and they should have taken care of it.&nbsp;

He said now they are doing politics over it.&nbsp;

The report highlighted the Master Plan of Delhi 2021 according to which&nbsp;manufacturing or packaging of explosives are &quot;not permissible&quot; and the municipal corporations are &quot;mandated to stop and not allow&quot; any such industrial activity.&nbsp;

In a preliminary report released by the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (DSIIDC), AAP government has blamed the BJP led civic body for the fire at Bawana factory

In a preliminary report released by the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (DSIIDC), AAP government has blamed the BJP led civic body for the fire at Bawana factory. The DSIIDC said in its report that it does not have any regulatory functions and it is not authorised to issue any type of license or permission for factory construction. It said it is primarily involved in organised and orderly development of industrial estates. The report was submitted to Delhi industries Minister Satyendra Jain who said that the municipal corporation holds the responsibility of issuing license and approving building plans. He added that they have the authority to stop any illegal factory from building in the industrial area and they should have taken care of it. He said now they are doing politics over it. The report highlighted the Master Plan of Delhi 2021 according to which manufacturing or packaging of explosives are "not permissible" and the municipal corporations are "mandated to stop and not allow" any such industrial activity.

AAP blames BJP led municipal corporation for fire in Bawana factory

The Delhi High Court today allowed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal&#39;s plea calling for two DDCA documents in connection with a defamation suit filed against him by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Referring to one of Jaitley&#39;s cross-examination sessions on Kejriwal&#39;s behalf, the court said questions put to the Union minister were not relevant to the case and the questioners should have restrained themselves from putting them.

The court said it was not clear in which direction the cross examination was proceeding.

Justice Manmohan also made it clear that the court was allowing Kejriwal&#39;s plea to summon only two documents of February 10, 2003 and April 6, 2003, with which Jaitley can be confronted during his cross-examination.

Jaitley&#39;s cross examination in the suit is going on before a joint registrar who has directed Kejriwal to wind up the cross examination on February 12 itself.

The high court, however, declined Kejriwal&#39;s plea to summon the entire minutes of meetings of the cricket body between 1999 and 2013, when Jaitley was president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).

The court said it cannot understand how the minutes of those meetings were relevant to this defamation suit against Kejriwal. Moreover, no grounds were given by the chief minister for summoning the details.

Regarding the documents which have been allowed to be summoned, the court asked Kejriwal to file a proper application in two days.

The high court&#39;s order came on Kejriwal&#39;s appeal challenging the joint registrar&#39;s order dismissing his plea to summon the minutes of meeting of DDCA and the other two documents.

The instant appeal has been moved by the chief minister in the Rs 10 crore defamation case filed by Jaitley against him and five other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders -- Raghav Chadha, Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Deepak Bajpai -- for accusing the BJP leader of corruption when he was DDCA president.

The high court declined Kejriwal's plea to summon the entire minutes of meetings of the cricket body between 1999 and 2013, when Jaitley was president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association

The Delhi High Court today allowed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea calling for two DDCA documents in connection with a defamation suit filed against him by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Referring to one of Jaitley's cross-examination sessions on Kejriwal's behalf, the court said questions put to the Union minister were not relevant to the case and the questioners should have restrained themselves from putting them. The court said it was not clear in which direction the cross examination was proceeding. Justice Manmohan also made it clear that the court was allowing Kejriwal's plea to summon only two documents of February 10, 2003 and April 6, 2003, with which Jaitley can be confronted during his cross-examination. Jaitley's cross examination in the suit is going on before a joint registrar who has directed Kejriwal to wind up the cross examination on February 12 itself. The high court, however, declined Kejriwal's plea to summon the entire minutes of meetings of the cricket body between 1999 and 2013, when Jaitley was president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA). The court said it cannot understand how the minutes of those meetings were relevant to this defamation suit against Kejriwal. Moreover, no grounds were given by the chief minister for summoning the details. Regarding the documents which have been allowed to be summoned, the court asked Kejriwal to file a proper application in two days. The high court's order came on Kejriwal's appeal challenging the joint registrar's order dismissing his plea to summon the minutes of meeting of DDCA and the other two documents. The instant appeal has been moved by the chief minister in the Rs 10 crore defamation case filed by Jaitley against him and five other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders -- Raghav Chadha, Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Deepak Bajpai -- for accusing the BJP leader of corruption when he was DDCA president.

Jaitley defamation case against Kejriwal: HC allows Delhi CM to call 2 documents

Quoting a source, the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that the BJP wants to ruin the retail business in Delhi to make way for Foreign Direct Investment.&nbsp;

He tweeted &quot; Someone told me today- &quot; Thro sealing, BJP wants to ruin Delhi&#39;s retail business to pave way for FDI in retail in Delhi. &quot;

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Someone told me today - &ldquo;Thro sealing, BJP wants to ruin Delhi&rsquo;s retail business to pave way for FDI in retail in Delhi.&rdquo; I hope this is not true.
&mdash; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/958283025669799936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Municipal corporations in Delhi have undertaken the Supreme Court-led drive sealing commercial premises for failing to deposit conversion charges.

Conversion charge is the amount paid to convert one category of property to another -- &nbsp;i.e, from residential to commercial.

Kejriwal on Wednesday met with the Delhi Lieutenant Governor to discuss the sealing issue.

He said &quot; I spoke to LG over sealing issue. He told me he has already spoken to centre&nbsp;about it and they will try to find a solution&quot;.&nbsp;

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I spoke to LG over sealing issue. He told me he has already spoken to center about it &amp; they will try to find a solution: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a> Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after meeting LG Anil Baijal <a href="https://t.co/KEtTUITPZK">pic.twitter.com/KEtTUITPZK</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/958678326662615040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2018</a></blockquote>
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He tweeted 'Someone told me today- Thro sealing, BJP wants to ruin Delhi's retail business to pave way for FDI in retail in Delhi'

Quoting a source, the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that the BJP wants to ruin the retail business in Delhi to make way for Foreign Direct Investment. He tweeted " Someone told me today- " Thro sealing, BJP wants to ruin Delhi's retail business to pave way for FDI in retail in Delhi. " Someone told me today - “Thro sealing, BJP wants to ruin Delhi’s retail business to pave way for FDI in retail in Delhi.” I hope this is not true. — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 30, 2018 × Municipal corporations in Delhi have undertaken the Supreme Court-led drive sealing commercial premises for failing to deposit conversion charges. Conversion charge is the amount paid to convert one category of property to another -- i.e, from residential to commercial. Kejriwal on Wednesday met with the Delhi Lieutenant Governor to discuss the sealing issue. He said " I spoke to LG over sealing issue. He told me he has already spoken to centre about it and they will try to find a solution". I spoke to LG over sealing issue. He told me he has already spoken to center about it & they will try to find a solution: #Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after meeting LG Anil Baijal pic.twitter.com/KEtTUITPZK — ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2018 ×

BJP wants to ruin Delhi's retail business to make way for FDI: Arvind Kejriwal

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today his government will move to the Supreme Court seeking a &quot;temporary ban&quot; on the ongoing sealing drive in Delhi, after his meeting with BJP leaders on the issue ended in hostility.

A BJP delegation, led by its Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari, walked out of the meeting at Kejriwal&#39;s residence, alleging the AAP government wanted to &quot;divert&quot; the attention.

The leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta, alleged that AAP leaders and workers misbehaved with the visiting members of the BJP delegation during the meeting.

Gupta charged that AAP workers entered into a scuffle with BJP workers. He said a police complaint against AAP legislators and others over the incident has been filed.

The complaint filed by Delhi BJP general-secretary Ravinder Gupta with Civil Lines police station named AAP MLAs Jarnail Singh, Akhilesh Tripathi, Rajesh Rishi and Jitender Tomar.

Tiwari said the BJP delegation walked out of the meeting as Kejriwal had converted it into a &quot;public rally&quot;.

&quot;We sensed their dangerous mood and felt that he was not interested in finding a solution to the problem,&quot; he charged.

Kejriwal said he was &quot;sad&quot; that the BJP did not participate in the meeting. He announced the Delhi government will approach the Supreme Court seeking a temporary ban on the drive being carried out by the saffron party-led civic bodies against properties allegedly violating the civic norms.

&quot;I am sad that this meeting could not take place. We will go to the Supreme Court for a temporary ban on sealing this week,&quot; he said.

Kejriwal said if the Centre, the L-G and the BJP wanted, not a single shop would have been sealed in the national capital, alleging that the saffron party was doing politics on the issue.

&quot;Although the BJP delegation had come for a discussion over sealing, they did not raise this issue in the meeting.

&quot;Manoj Tiwari raised only two issues - unauthorised colonies and 351 roads, which have nothing to with the ongoing sealing drive. On 351 roads, there is no sealing yet, but despite this, BJP is raising this issue again and again,&quot; Kejriwal told reporters at his official residence.

He also said the BJP was diverting the attention from the sealing drive.

The chief minister said all the three municipal commissioners have sought two more days&#39; to submit a survey report to the government to change the land use of 351 roads to commercial and mixed land use so that there is no sealing on these roads in the future.

&quot;If the survey report comes in two days, we will submit it in the Supreme Court in this week,&quot; he said.

On the BJP&#39;s claim that AAP MLAs attacked its leaders during the meeting, Kejriwal said that the BJP was levelling &quot;baseless allegations&quot;.

&quot;If any MLA has misbehaved with them, I will throw him out (of the AAP)... Recently, I had written to the L-G on the sealing issue and suggested four steps to give a relief to traders, but it is unfortunate that the Centre and L-G is not taking immediate step to stop the sealing,&quot; Kejriwal said.

He added that BJP leaders wanted a &quot;closed-door&quot; discussion, but he denied it, saying there should be an open discussion on sealing drive that&#39;s why he had also called AAP MLAs and councillors for the meeting.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal visited markets in Chandni Chowk and other areas and interacted with traders hit by sealing drive.

He said he will visit other markets later in the day.

Civic bodies have undertaken the sealing drive initiated by a Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee. Commercial premises have been sealed for failing to deposit conversion charges according to provisions in Master Plan 2021.

The AAP has demanded that the Central government should either bring an ordinance or amend Delhi Master Plan 2021 to stop sealing.

The BJP, on the other hand, demanded that the AAP dispensation should come out with a notification on mix land use to give a relief to the city&#39;s traders.

A BJP delegation, led by its Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari, walked out of the meeting at Kejriwal's residence, alleging the AAP government wanted to 'divert the attention

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today his government will move to the Supreme Court seeking a "temporary ban" on the ongoing sealing drive in Delhi, after his meeting with BJP leaders on the issue ended in hostility. A BJP delegation, led by its Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari, walked out of the meeting at Kejriwal's residence, alleging the AAP government wanted to "divert" the attention. The leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta, alleged that AAP leaders and workers misbehaved with the visiting members of the BJP delegation during the meeting. Gupta charged that AAP workers entered into a scuffle with BJP workers. He said a police complaint against AAP legislators and others over the incident has been filed. The complaint filed by Delhi BJP general-secretary Ravinder Gupta with Civil Lines police station named AAP MLAs Jarnail Singh, Akhilesh Tripathi, Rajesh Rishi and Jitender Tomar. Tiwari said the BJP delegation walked out of the meeting as Kejriwal had converted it into a "public rally". "We sensed their dangerous mood and felt that he was not interested in finding a solution to the problem," he charged. Kejriwal said he was "sad" that the BJP did not participate in the meeting. He announced the Delhi government will approach the Supreme Court seeking a temporary ban on the drive being carried out by the saffron party-led civic bodies against properties allegedly violating the civic norms. "I am sad that this meeting could not take place. We will go to the Supreme Court for a temporary ban on sealing this week," he said. Kejriwal said if the Centre, the L-G and the BJP wanted, not a single shop would have been sealed in the national capital, alleging that the saffron party was doing politics on the issue. "Although the BJP delegation had come for a discussion over sealing, they did not raise this issue in the meeting. "Manoj Tiwari raised only two issues - unauthorised colonies and 351 roads, which have nothing to with the ongoing sealing drive. On 351 roads, there is no sealing yet, but despite this, BJP is raising this issue again and again," Kejriwal told reporters at his official residence. He also said the BJP was diverting the attention from the sealing drive. The chief minister said all the three municipal commissioners have sought two more days' to submit a survey report to the government to change the land use of 351 roads to commercial and mixed land use so that there is no sealing on these roads in the future. "If the survey report comes in two days, we will submit it in the Supreme Court in this week," he said. On the BJP's claim that AAP MLAs attacked its leaders during the meeting, Kejriwal said that the BJP was levelling "baseless allegations". "If any MLA has misbehaved with them, I will throw him out (of the AAP)... Recently, I had written to the L-G on the sealing issue and suggested four steps to give a relief to traders, but it is unfortunate that the Centre and L-G is not taking immediate step to stop the sealing," Kejriwal said. He added that BJP leaders wanted a "closed-door" discussion, but he denied it, saying there should be an open discussion on sealing drive that's why he had also called AAP MLAs and councillors for the meeting. Meanwhile, Kejriwal visited markets in Chandni Chowk and other areas and interacted with traders hit by sealing drive. He said he will visit other markets later in the day. Civic bodies have undertaken the sealing drive initiated by a Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee. Commercial premises have been sealed for failing to deposit conversion charges according to provisions in Master Plan 2021. The AAP has demanded that the Central government should either bring an ordinance or amend Delhi Master Plan 2021 to stop sealing. The BJP, on the other hand, demanded that the AAP dispensation should come out with a notification on mix land use to give a relief to the city's traders.

Delhi government to move Supreme court to seek 'temporary ban' on sealing drive

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, along&nbsp;with his party members, visited Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal&#39;s residence earlier today.&nbsp;

The meeting&#39;s primary agenda was to discuss the ongoing sealing drive against properties for alleged violations of civic norms.

Kejriwal allowed the presence of media at the discussion noting that the debate must happen in the presence of media.&nbsp;

Manoj Tiwari noted that Kejriwal did not address the matter, rather his (AAP) party leaders insulted Tiwari.&nbsp;

&quot;We sought your time quite a lot of time to carry out the discussion. Today you called the entire media sector here... Why has the notification of 351 roads not happened so far? And, what has happened to the promise of regularising unauthorised colonies? As far as meeting with Lt governor is concerned, we do that whenever we like,&quot; Manoj Tiwari noted.&nbsp;

Tiwari has filed a complaint against Delhi CM for &quot;insulting him&quot; and other leaders during the meeting.

&quot;Kejriwal gave me his time and these people (MLAs) insulted me saying that I am giving a lecture,&quot; noted Tiwari.

Meanwhile, Delhi CM Kejriwal has decided to move the Supreme Court as the meeting did not yield any resolve to the situation. &ldquo;BJP should bring an ordinance to ban sealing,&quot; Kejriwal noted.&nbsp;

The Kejriwal government will seek a temporary ban on sealing drive.&nbsp;

On Monday, Kejriwal wrote to Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal seeking to meet him today, along with all BJP and AAP MLAs to discuss the sealing issue.

Delhi BJP&rsquo;s general secretary Ravinder Gupta previously wrote to Kejriwal confirming that the party&rsquo;s Delhi unit president Manoj Tiwari and other leaders will visit Kejriwal&#39;s residence at 9 am today to discuss the issue.

The brickbat between the ruling AAP and the BJP has intensified over the sealing drive. While the city is ruled by the AAP government, the BJP controls the municipal corporations.

The meeting's primary agenda was to discuss the ongoing sealing drive against properties for alleged violations of civic norms

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, along with his party members, visited Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence earlier today. The meeting's primary agenda was to discuss the ongoing sealing drive against properties for alleged violations of civic norms. Kejriwal allowed the presence of media at the discussion noting that the debate must happen in the presence of media. Manoj Tiwari noted that Kejriwal did not address the matter, rather his (AAP) party leaders insulted Tiwari. "We sought your time quite a lot of time to carry out the discussion. Today you called the entire media sector here... Why has the notification of 351 roads not happened so far? And, what has happened to the promise of regularising unauthorised colonies? As far as meeting with Lt governor is concerned, we do that whenever we like," Manoj Tiwari noted. Tiwari has filed a complaint against Delhi CM for "insulting him" and other leaders during the meeting. "Kejriwal gave me his time and these people (MLAs) insulted me saying that I am giving a lecture," noted Tiwari. Meanwhile, Delhi CM Kejriwal has decided to move the Supreme Court as the meeting did not yield any resolve to the situation. “BJP should bring an ordinance to ban sealing," Kejriwal noted. The Kejriwal government will seek a temporary ban on sealing drive. On Monday, Kejriwal wrote to Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal seeking to meet him today, along with all BJP and AAP MLAs to discuss the sealing issue. Delhi BJP’s general secretary Ravinder Gupta previously wrote to Kejriwal confirming that the party’s Delhi unit president Manoj Tiwari and other leaders will visit Kejriwal's residence at 9 am today to discuss the issue. The brickbat between the ruling AAP and the BJP has intensified over the sealing drive. While the city is ruled by the AAP government, the BJP controls the municipal corporations.

AAP-BJP sealing drive meet breaks into ruckus, Manoj Tiwari files complaint against Kejriwal for 'insulting him'

The Delhi High Court has asked the Election Commission to file a detailed affidavit stating factual aspects of its decision on <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-high-court-to-hear-plea-filed-by-disqualified-aap-mlas-on-january-24-30529" target="_blank">disqualification of the 20&nbsp;MLAs</a>&nbsp;of the Aam Aadmi Party.

The court has asked the Commission to file a written reply to the MLAs plea.&nbsp;

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20 AAP disqualification matter: Delhi High Court asks Election Commission to file written reply to AAP MLAs plea. Matter to be heard on 7 February.
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/958227078737838081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The twenty members of Legislative Assembly of the AAP had moved the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/disqualified-aap-mlas-withdraw-plea-in-hc-to-file-fresh-ones-30419">Delhi High Court </a>on January 23 against their disqualification.

In a huge setback to the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, the Election Commission&#39;s recommendation for the&nbsp;disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs was approved by President Ram Nath Kovind on January 21.

The recommendation for&nbsp;disqualification was issued&nbsp;for holding the post of parliamentary secretaries between March 2015 and September 2016, considered as holding an office of profit.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February 7.&nbsp;

The court has asked the Commission to file a written reply to the MLAs plea

The Delhi High Court has asked the Election Commission to file a detailed affidavit stating factual aspects of its decision on disqualification of the 20 MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party. The court has asked the Commission to file a written reply to the MLAs plea. 20 AAP disqualification matter: Delhi High Court asks Election Commission to file written reply to AAP MLAs plea. Matter to be heard on 7 February. — ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2018 × The twenty members of Legislative Assembly of the AAP had moved the Delhi High Court on January 23 against their disqualification. In a huge setback to the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, the Election Commission's recommendation for the disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs was approved by President Ram Nath Kovind on January 21. The recommendation for disqualification was issued for holding the post of parliamentary secretaries between March 2015 and September 2016, considered as holding an office of profit. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February 7.

High Court asks EC to state facts behind AAP MLAs disqualification

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-government-to-move-supreme-court-seeking-temporary-ban-on-sealing-drive-31227">Delhi government to move Supreme court to seek &#39;temporary ban&#39; on sealing drive</a>

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today his government will move to the Supreme Court seeking a &quot;temporary ban&quot; on the ongoing sealing drive in Delhi, after his meeting with BJP leaders on the issue ended in hostility.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-oligarch-list-may-damage-image-of-russian-firms-kremlin-31224">US &#39;oligarch list&#39; may damage image of Russian firms: Kremlin</a>

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday (January 30) that a US report on people close to the Kremlin might damage the image of Russian firms, businessmen and officials and that everyone in it had been de facto labelled an enemy of the United States.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/icc-u-19-world-cup-2018-india-trounces-pakistan-to-enter-finals-31174">ICC U-19 World Cup 2018: India trounces Pakistan to enter finals</a>

A massive victory for team India, as they trounced Pakistan by 203 runs in the semifinals. Now, India will face Australia in the finals of ICC U-19 World Cup.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/puerto-rice-to-allow-adoption-for-non-married-couples-31213">Puerto Rico to allow adoption for non-married couples</a>

Puerto Rico passed a law that will now allow non-married couples to adopt children in the socially conservative US territory.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-has-bigger-footprint-than-russia-for-covert-activities-cia-chief-pompeo-31207">China has bigger footprint than Russia for covert activities: CIA chief Pompeo</a>

In a freewheeling interview with the BBC, Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) director Mike Pompeo said China has much &quot;bigger footprint&quot; to carry out covert activities than Russia.

Delhi government to move Supreme court to seek 'temporary ban' on sealing drive Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today his government will move to the Supreme Court seeking a "temporary ban" on the ongoing sealing drive in Delhi, after his meeting with BJP leaders on the issue ended in hostility. US 'oligarch list' may damage image of Russian firms: Kremlin Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday (January 30) that a US report on people close to the Kremlin might damage the image of Russian firms, businessmen and officials and that everyone in it had been de facto labelled an enemy of the United States. ICC U-19 World Cup 2018: India trounces Pakistan to enter finals A massive victory for team India, as they trounced Pakistan by 203 runs in the semifinals. Now, India will face Australia in the finals of ICC U-19 World Cup. Puerto Rico to allow adoption for non-married couples Puerto Rico passed a law that will now allow non-married couples to adopt children in the socially conservative US territory. China has bigger footprint than Russia for covert activities: CIA chief Pompeo In a freewheeling interview with the BBC, Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) director Mike Pompeo said China has much "bigger footprint" to carry out covert activities than Russia.

WION Evening News Brief, January 30, 2018

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/gunfire-and-explosions-at-marshal-fahim-military-university-in-kabul-31031" target="_blank">Military university in Kabul rocked by explosions and heavy gunfire: Reports</a>

The Marshal Fahim Military University in the Afghan capital of Kabul has come under attack on Monday morning with a series of explosions and heavy gunfire heard at the compound, according to local media.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/grammys-2018-live-ed-sheeran-wins-best-solo-performance-for-shape-of-you-31014" target="_blank">Grammys 2018, Live: Bruno Mars wins Song of The Year for &#39;That&#39;s What I Like&#39;</a>

Bruno Mars receives the Grammy for the Best Song of the year during the 60th Annual Grammy Awards show on January 28, 2018, in New York.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/budget-2018-with-assembly-elections-lined-up-government-to-woo-rural-voters-in-budget-31027" target="_blank">Budget 2018: With assembly elections lined up, government to woo rural voters in budget</a>

The Modi government will be trying to woo back rural voters and small businesses when it announces the 2018/19 budget on Thursday and pick up economic momentum as it heads into a season of elections, officials said.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/aap-leaders-to-march-to-parliament-today-urging-government-to-end-sealing-drive-in-delhi-31032" target="_blank">AAP leaders to march to Parliament today urging government to end sealing drive in Delhi&nbsp;</a>

AAP leaders will march to the Parliament today urging the Modi government to end sealing of markets in the national capital.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-blasts-eu-trade-policy-with-us-as-very-unfair-31020" target="_blank">Trump blasts EU trade policy with </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-blasts-eu-trade-policy-with-us-as-very-unfair-31020" target="_blank">US</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-blasts-eu-trade-policy-with-us-as-very-unfair-31020" target="_blank"> as &#39;very unfair&#39;</a>

The European Union`s trade policy with America is &quot;very unfair&quot;, President Donald Trump said in an interview to be aired Sunday, warning that his many problems with Brussels &quot;may morph into something very big&quot;.

Military university in Kabul rocked by explosions and heavy gunfire: Reports The Marshal Fahim Military University in the Afghan capital of Kabul has come under attack on Monday morning with a series of explosions and heavy gunfire heard at the compound, according to local media. Grammys 2018, Live: Bruno Mars wins Song of The Year for 'That's What I Like' Bruno Mars receives the Grammy for the Best Song of the year during the 60th Annual Grammy Awards show on January 28, 2018, in New York. Budget 2018: With assembly elections lined up, government to woo rural voters in budget The Modi government will be trying to woo back rural voters and small businesses when it announces the 2018/19 budget on Thursday and pick up economic momentum as it heads into a season of elections, officials said. AAP leaders to march to Parliament today urging government to end sealing drive in Delhi AAP leaders will march to the Parliament today urging the Modi government to end sealing of markets in the national capital. Trump blasts EU trade policy with US as 'very unfair' The European Union`s trade policy with America is "very unfair", President Donald Trump said in an interview to be aired Sunday, warning that his many problems with Brussels "may morph into something very big".

WION Morning News Brief, January 29, 2018

AAP leaders will march to the Parliament today urging the Modi government to end sealing of markets in the national capital.

According&nbsp;to Saurabh Bharadwaj, chief spokesperson of party&#39;s Delhi unit, the ongoing sealing drive in Delhi was to due to conversion charges which are under the purview of the three municipal corporations ruled by the BJP and the Delhi Development Authority.

AAP leaders will march to Parliament to pressurize the Centre to bring in an ordinance in this regard.

Municipal corporations in Delhi have undertaken the Supreme Court-led sealing drive sealing commercial premises for failing to deposit conversion charges.

Conversion charge is the amount paid to convert one category of property to another -- &nbsp;i.e, from residential to commercial.

(With inputs from PTI)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

AAP leaders will march to Parliament to pressurize the Centre to bring in an ordinance in this regard.

AAP leaders will march to the Parliament today urging the Modi government to end sealing of markets in the national capital. According to Saurabh Bharadwaj, chief spokesperson of party's Delhi unit, the ongoing sealing drive in Delhi was to due to conversion charges which are under the purview of the three municipal corporations ruled by the BJP and the Delhi Development Authority. AAP leaders will march to Parliament to pressurize the Centre to bring in an ordinance in this regard. Municipal corporations in Delhi have undertaken the Supreme Court-led sealing drive sealing commercial premises for failing to deposit conversion charges. Conversion charge is the amount paid to convert one category of property to another -- i.e, from residential to commercial. (With inputs from PTI)

AAP leaders to march to Parliament today urging government to end sealing drive in Delhi 

Social activist Anna Hazare on Monday said that he will make sure that anyone joining his movement will not become a part of a political party or contest elections again.&nbsp;

&quot;Before joining me, a person has to give an affidavit saying he/she will not join any political party or fight elections,&quot; he said to reporters here.

Hazare said this when he was asked if a leader like Arvind Kejriwal will come out of his movement again, Anna assured this wouldn&#39;t happen, as he is &#39;more aware&#39; now.

&quot;I was not very alert then. But now, I will make sure that it will never happen again,&quot; he said.

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No it will never happen again,I will make sure. I was not very alert then but now before joining me person has to give affidavit saying they won&#39;t join any political party or fight elections: Anna Hazare on being asked if a leader like Kejriwal will come out of his movement again <a href="https://t.co/aPCnJRaHL6">pic.twitter.com/aPCnJRaHL6</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/952957739977736192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Kejriwal had earlier had close ties with Hazare when he joined him for the anti-corruption movement in 2011. However, he soon parted ways and formed his own party.&nbsp;

Strongly condemning the Delhi Chief Minister for violating laws and the Constitution, Hazare said he will never be in favour of Kejriwal&#39;s actions. The Shunglu committee report showed Kejriwal&#39;s government for bypassing law, nepotism and financial irregularities among others, reports said.

Earlier in December, Anna announced that he would start a &quot;peaceful protest&quot; from March 23, 2018, for bringing an improvement in the conditions of farmers in the nation.

&quot;We will start a peaceful protest from March 23 next year in Delhi. I have toured nine states till now and urged everyone to join me,&quot; he told ANI.

He further said the protest would be peaceful and there would be no ounce of violence.

Hazare said this when he was asked about if a leader like Arvind Kejriwal will come out of his movement again, Anna assured this wouldn't happen, as he is 'more aware' now

Social activist Anna Hazare on Monday said that he will make sure that anyone joining his movement will not become a part of a political party or contest elections again. "Before joining me, a person has to give an affidavit saying he/she will not join any political party or fight elections," he said to reporters here. Hazare said this when he was asked if a leader like Arvind Kejriwal will come out of his movement again, Anna assured this wouldn't happen, as he is 'more aware' now. "I was not very alert then. But now, I will make sure that it will never happen again," he said. No it will never happen again,I will make sure. I was not very alert then but now before joining me person has to give affidavit saying they won't join any political party or fight elections: Anna Hazare on being asked if a leader like Kejriwal will come out of his movement again pic.twitter.com/aPCnJRaHL6 — ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2018 × Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Kejriwal had earlier had close ties with Hazare when he joined him for the anti-corruption movement in 2011. However, he soon parted ways and formed his own party. Strongly condemning the Delhi Chief Minister for violating laws and the Constitution, Hazare said he will never be in favour of Kejriwal's actions. The Shunglu committee report showed Kejriwal's government for bypassing law, nepotism and financial irregularities among others, reports said. Earlier in December, Anna announced that he would start a "peaceful protest" from March 23, 2018, for bringing an improvement in the conditions of farmers in the nation. "We will start a peaceful protest from March 23 next year in Delhi. I have toured nine states till now and urged everyone to join me," he told ANI. He further said the protest would be peaceful and there would be no ounce of violence.

Will make sure anyone joining my movement does not enter politics: Anna Hazare

Even as the Aam Admi Party(AAP) <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/known-kejriwal-for-12-years-cannot-imagine-him-taking-bribe-kumar-vishwas-15305">released its list of candidates</a> for Rajya Sabha, national executive member Kumar Vishwas took a dig at Kejriwal declaring he did not get any help from the Delhi chief minister.

The ruling party in<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/aap-slays-party-gremlins-kumar-vishwas-made-in-charge-of-rajasthan-15194"> Delhi announced three nominees </a>for the Rajya Sabha. Sanjay Singh, businessman Sushil Gupta and chartered accountant N.D. Gupta.

However, AAP leader Kumar Vishwas said the Delhi chief minister had told him that he did not even agree with himself.

&nbsp;&#39;In the form of punishment, I have been given an award for speaking the truth,&#39; Vishwas said.

&quot;I did not get any help,&quot;&nbsp;he said, adding,&quot;I did not get any help, I am not going to come back because of this.&quot;

Taking a swipe at the BJP, Vishwas said the main party will not be able to do any harm to the nation.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: Kumar Vishwas talks to the media after announcement of AAP&#39;s Rajya Sabha nominees, says, &#39;In the form of punishment, I have been given an award for speaking the truth.&#39; <a href="https://t.co/xGoxpKvXZg">pic.twitter.com/xGoxpKvXZg</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948479223903133696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Taking a swipe at the BJP, Vishwas said the main party will not be able to do any harm to the nation.

Even as the Aam Admi Party(AAP) released its list of candidates for Rajya Sabha, national executive member Kumar Vishwas took a dig at Kejriwal declaring he did not get any help from the Delhi chief minister. The ruling party in Delhi announced three nominees for the Rajya Sabha. Sanjay Singh, businessman Sushil Gupta and chartered accountant N.D. Gupta. However, AAP leader Kumar Vishwas said the Delhi chief minister had told him that he did not even agree with himself. 'In the form of punishment, I have been given an award for speaking the truth,' Vishwas said. "I did not get any help," he said, adding,"I did not get any help, I am not going to come back because of this." Taking a swipe at the BJP, Vishwas said the main party will not be able to do any harm to the nation. #WATCH: Kumar Vishwas talks to the media after announcement of AAP's Rajya Sabha nominees, says, 'In the form of punishment, I have been given an award for speaking the truth.' pic.twitter.com/xGoxpKvXZg — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 ×

AAP announces Rajya Sabha candidates, Kumar Vishwas unhappy

Continuing the battle for agreement on<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-plans-home-delivery-of-40-government-services-lg-says-no-27811"> government services to now be available</a> at the doorstep, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has rebutted Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal&rsquo;s decision to trun it down.&nbsp;

On Wednesday, Sisodia lashed out at Baijal asking whether he is &quot;trying to protect a corrupt system,&quot; calling it a &quot;huge setback&quot; to the government&#39;s efforts to provide good and corruption-free governance.&nbsp;

Sisodia further questioned whether the &#39;selected L-G&#39; should have the powers to pass on decisions of an elected government.&nbsp;

The Supreme Court is yet to announce their verdict on powers of the Delhi government and the L-G.&nbsp;

Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had turned down the government&#39;s proposal to home deliver 40 government services - which was considered as a &nbsp;&ldquo;progressive step&rdquo;&nbsp;

However, Baijal clarified that he had not turned down the proposal but &quot;advised to reconsider the proposal and suggested an alternate model.&quot;

The government services included caste, birth, and address certificates, licences, and pensions.&nbsp;

Baijal clarified that he had not turned down the proposal but 'advised to reconsider the proposal and suggested an alternate model.'

Continuing the battle for agreement on government services to now be available at the doorstep, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has rebutted Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s decision to trun it down. On Wednesday, Sisodia lashed out at Baijal asking whether he is "trying to protect a corrupt system," calling it a "huge setback" to the government's efforts to provide good and corruption-free governance. Sisodia further questioned whether the 'selected L-G' should have the powers to pass on decisions of an elected government. The Supreme Court is yet to announce their verdict on powers of the Delhi government and the L-G. Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had turned down the government's proposal to home deliver 40 government services - which was considered as a “progressive step” However, Baijal clarified that he had not turned down the proposal but "advised to reconsider the proposal and suggested an alternate model." The government services included caste, birth, and address certificates, licences, and pensions.

Manish Sisodia: Are you trying to protect a corrupt system, Anil Baijal?

The family of a 58-year-old man, who was taken to Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh on Christmas Day for treatment of a heart condition, has alleged that he died due to the hospital&#39;s negligence, a charge the upscale facility has denied. 
 
The allegation came weeks after the Court of the Financial Commissioner stayed an order of the Delhi government cancelling the hospital&#39;s licence for wrongly declaring a newborn dead. 
 
Sarika, 35, daughter of the deceased, Kamlesh Chander, said: &quot;We are devastated by the incident. Tomorrow, we will try to reach out to Health Minister J P Nadda and the chief medical officer of Delhi. We want justice.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;My father was on his feet when he visited the hospital on December 25. He was sweating, so they took him to the emergency ward and an ECG test was conducted. The test revealed that he had blockage in his arteries,&quot; she said. 
 
Sarika said an angiography was performed on her father and the doctors told the family that Chander would need a bypass surgery. 
 
&quot;While we discussed the matter, they came and informed us that stents have been put in his body. They did that without even asking us. More so, my father was admitted under the supervision of a doctor who was on leave. This is fraud and negligence,&quot; she alleged. 
 
&quot;A few hours later, my father died... We demand justice. 
 
We are waiting for the autopsy and after that&nbsp;we will organise the funeral,&quot; she said. 
 
The family said the hospital allegedly billed them Rs three lakh. 
 
&quot;We have submitted all relevant details and registered a complaint with the police,&quot; she said. 
 
A police official said inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC was initiated based on the complaint. 
 
&quot;A medical board will be constituted to carry out the autopsy. On the basis of the autopsy, further action will be taken,&quot; the official said. 
 
Max Healthcare in a statement said: &quot;The patient was brought to the emergency (ward) in the afternoon of December 25, with complaints of chest pain and breathlessness. Initial ECG confirmed acute STEMI.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) is a type of heart attack during which one of the heart&#39;s major arteries is blocked. 
 
&quot;Further investigation revealed Triple Vessel Disease blockage in three major arteries. The patient was 58 years old and had a history of diabetes, hypertension and smoking. 
 
Despite due efforts by the medical team, the patient could not be saved,&quot; it claimed. 
 
Sarika, however, countered the hospital&#39;s claim, saying, &quot;My father was a vegetarian, non-smoker and non-alcoholic.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Max Healthcare authorities said, &quot;We are really disturbed by the false allegation that the body was held pending payment. It is a part of our ethics charter to peacefully hand over the body under all circumstances.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Sarika has claimed that her father&#39;s body was first taken by the police to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital, and from there to Safdarjung Hospital for post-mortem.

A few days back, the Delhi government had cancelled the hospital's licence for wrongly declaring a newborn dead

The family of a 58-year-old man, who was taken to Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh on Christmas Day for treatment of a heart condition, has alleged that he died due to the hospital's negligence, a charge the upscale facility has denied. The allegation came weeks after the Court of the Financial Commissioner stayed an order of the Delhi government cancelling the hospital's licence for wrongly declaring a newborn dead. Sarika, 35, daughter of the deceased, Kamlesh Chander, said: "We are devastated by the incident. Tomorrow, we will try to reach out to Health Minister J P Nadda and the chief medical officer of Delhi. We want justice." "My father was on his feet when he visited the hospital on December 25. He was sweating, so they took him to the emergency ward and an ECG test was conducted. The test revealed that he had blockage in his arteries," she said. Sarika said an angiography was performed on her father and the doctors told the family that Chander would need a bypass surgery. "While we discussed the matter, they came and informed us that stents have been put in his body. They did that without even asking us. More so, my father was admitted under the supervision of a doctor who was on leave. This is fraud and negligence," she alleged. "A few hours later, my father died... We demand justice. We are waiting for the autopsy and after that we will organise the funeral," she said. The family said the hospital allegedly billed them Rs three lakh. "We have submitted all relevant details and registered a complaint with the police," she said. A police official said inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC was initiated based on the complaint. "A medical board will be constituted to carry out the autopsy. On the basis of the autopsy, further action will be taken," the official said. Max Healthcare in a statement said: "The patient was brought to the emergency (ward) in the afternoon of December 25, with complaints of chest pain and breathlessness. Initial ECG confirmed acute STEMI." ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) is a type of heart attack during which one of the heart's major arteries is blocked. "Further investigation revealed Triple Vessel Disease blockage in three major arteries. The patient was 58 years old and had a history of diabetes, hypertension and smoking. Despite due efforts by the medical team, the patient could not be saved," it claimed. Sarika, however, countered the hospital's claim, saying, "My father was a vegetarian, non-smoker and non-alcoholic." Max Healthcare authorities said, "We are really disturbed by the false allegation that the body was held pending payment. It is a part of our ethics charter to peacefully hand over the body under all circumstances." Sarika has claimed that her father's body was first taken by the police to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital, and from there to Safdarjung Hospital for post-mortem.

Man dies at Max Hospital, family alleges negligence

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said Tuesday that Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had turned down the government&#39;s proposal to home deliver 40 government services.&nbsp;

The government services included caste, birth, and address certificates, licences, and pensions.&nbsp;

Sisodia said the LG had thought the digitisation of the services was enough.&nbsp;

Sisodia however said on Twitter that most of the services had already been digitised, and yet there were &quot;long queues in offices... most people still have to run around government offices with docs (documents)&quot;.&nbsp;

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LG rejects proposal of doorstep delivery of 40 govt services like caste-birth-address certificates, licences, social welfare schemes, pensions, registrations..etc 
 
LG sends it back for reconsideration. LG says digitalization of services enough. No need for doorstep delivery. 1/N
&mdash; Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) <a href="https://twitter.com/msisodia/status/945640419903205381?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Most of these services r already digital. Yet, long queues in offices. Despite digitalization, most people still hv to run around govt offices with docs etc. Under doorstep delivery scheme, a govt rep wud visit ur house on a ph call to collect, certify n upload ur docs.2/N
&mdash; Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) <a href="https://twitter.com/msisodia/status/945641013292318721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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LG has taken decision without knowing field reality. Announcement of doorstep delivery scheme was welcomed by all sections of society. 
 
Huge setback in Del govt&rsquo;s efforts to provide good and corruption free governance.. 3/N
&mdash; Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) <a href="https://twitter.com/msisodia/status/945641203931889664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Should LG have power to express difference of opinion with elected govt on such critical matters of public interest n be able to scuttle such measures? Public hugely suffering because of that... 4/4
&mdash; Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) <a href="https://twitter.com/msisodia/status/945641381145354240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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He added that the &quot;LG has taken decision without knowing field reality.&quot;&nbsp;

And that this was a huge setback to the Delhi government&#39;s efforts to &quot;provide good and corruption free governance&quot;.&nbsp;

Sisodia also wondered whether the LG should have the &quot;power to express difference of opinion with elected govt on such critical matters of public interest n be able to scuttle such measures?&quot;

He said that the public was &quot;hugely suffering because of that&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;Today I feel sad for people of Delhi,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

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LG says digitisation enough. 
 
Elected govt says digitisation needs to be coupled wid doorstep delivery 
 
LG does not agree 
 
So, the question is - in a democracy, in such a situation, who shud have final say - LG or elected govt?? <a href="https://t.co/o1iNid6sxa">https://t.co/o1iNid6sxa</a>
&mdash; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/945845187061858304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The government services included caste, birth, and address certificates, licences, and pensions

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said Tuesday that Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had turned down the government's proposal to home deliver 40 government services. The government services included caste, birth, and address certificates, licences, and pensions. Sisodia said the LG had thought the digitisation of the services was enough. Sisodia however said on Twitter that most of the services had already been digitised, and yet there were "long queues in offices... most people still have to run around government offices with docs (documents)". LG rejects proposal of doorstep delivery of 40 govt services like caste-birth-address certificates, licences, social welfare schemes, pensions, registrations..etc LG sends it back for reconsideration. LG says digitalization of services enough. No need for doorstep delivery. 1/N — Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) December 26, 2017 × Most of these services r already digital. Yet, long queues in offices. Despite digitalization, most people still hv to run around govt offices with docs etc. Under doorstep delivery scheme, a govt rep wud visit ur house on a ph call to collect, certify n upload ur docs.2/N — Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) December 26, 2017 × LG has taken decision without knowing field reality. Announcement of doorstep delivery scheme was welcomed by all sections of society. Huge setback in Del govt’s efforts to provide good and corruption free governance.. 3/N — Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) December 26, 2017 × Should LG have power to express difference of opinion with elected govt on such critical matters of public interest n be able to scuttle such measures? Public hugely suffering because of that... 4/4 — Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) December 26, 2017 × He added that the "LG has taken decision without knowing field reality." And that this was a huge setback to the Delhi government's efforts to "provide good and corruption free governance". Sisodia also wondered whether the LG should have the "power to express difference of opinion with elected govt on such critical matters of public interest n be able to scuttle such measures?" He said that the public was "hugely suffering because of that". "Today I feel sad for people of Delhi," he added. LG says digitisation enough. Elected govt says digitisation needs to be coupled wid doorstep delivery LG does not agree So, the question is - in a democracy, in such a situation, who shud have final say - LG or elected govt?? https://t.co/o1iNid6sxa — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 27, 2017 ×

Delhi plans home delivery of 40 government services, LG says no

The Aam Aadmi Party today alleged that supporters of BJP MP Manoj Tiwari today &quot;scuttled&quot; a programme being held in the memory of Nirbhaya and also hooted at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while he was speaking.

The AAP also accused the BJP of politicising the event held at the Constitution Club here.

&quot;Extremely shameful of BJP and its officials including PA to @ManojTiwariMP and spokesperson @RaviBabbarbjp for scuttling a programme being held in the memory of late Nirbhaya! Delhi will never forgive @BJP4India for this,&quot; the party&#39;s twitter handle said.

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?????? ???????.. 
 
??????? ?? ??????????? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ????????? ??? ????? ?? ????? <a href="https://twitter.com/ManojTiwariMP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ManojTiwariMP</a> ?? ????? ?? ?????? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?? ? ????? ??? ??? ????????? ?? ???????? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ??, <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4India?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BJP4India</a> ?? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ??????? ?????? ??? ! <a href="https://t.co/jNd8lNpeoC">pic.twitter.com/jNd8lNpeoC</a>
&mdash; AAP (@AamAadmiParty) <a href="https://twitter.com/AamAadmiParty/status/942026373153116160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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On December 12, 2012, Nirbhaya, a physiotherapy student was gang-raped in a moving bus, and dumped on the streets under the cover of darkness in south Delhi, sparking outrage, with many citizens taking to streets. She succumbed to her injuries on December 16, 2012.

Rejecting the charge, Tiwari said he had been asked by the organisers not to bring politics into his speech and he adhered to it.

&quot;When I learnt about the hooting, I condemned the incident. But if people are hooting at Kejriwal then this is worrisome. I am sad that Kejriwal did not take the Nirbhaya Day seriously,&quot; the BJP MP said.

Earlier in the day, BJP workers showed black flags to Kejriwal at event in Mukundpur where he had gone to inaugurate a flyover.

The BJP alleged that Kejriwal politicised the event and local MP Manoj Tiwari was not even informed about it.

The Aam Aadmi Party today alleged that supporters of BJP MP Manoj Tiwari today "scuttled" a programme being held in the memory of Nirbhaya and also hooted at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while he was speaking

The Aam Aadmi Party today alleged that supporters of BJP MP Manoj Tiwari today "scuttled" a programme being held in the memory of Nirbhaya and also hooted at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while he was speaking. The AAP also accused the BJP of politicising the event held at the Constitution Club here. "Extremely shameful of BJP and its officials including PA to @ManojTiwariMP and spokesperson @RaviBabbarbjp for scuttling a programme being held in the memory of late Nirbhaya! Delhi will never forgive @BJP4India for this," the party's twitter handle said. ?????? ???????.. ??????? ?? ??????????? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ????????? ??? ????? ?? ????? @ManojTiwariMP ?? ????? ?? ?????? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?? ? ????? ??? ??? ????????? ?? ???????? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ??, @BJP4India ?? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ??????? ?????? ??? ! pic.twitter.com/jNd8lNpeoC — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) December 16, 2017 × On December 12, 2012, Nirbhaya, a physiotherapy student was gang-raped in a moving bus, and dumped on the streets under the cover of darkness in south Delhi, sparking outrage, with many citizens taking to streets. She succumbed to her injuries on December 16, 2012. Rejecting the charge, Tiwari said he had been asked by the organisers not to bring politics into his speech and he adhered to it. "When I learnt about the hooting, I condemned the incident. But if people are hooting at Kejriwal then this is worrisome. I am sad that Kejriwal did not take the Nirbhaya Day seriously," the BJP MP said. Earlier in the day, BJP workers showed black flags to Kejriwal at event in Mukundpur where he had gone to inaugurate a flyover. The BJP alleged that Kejriwal politicised the event and local MP Manoj Tiwari was not even informed about it.

BJP supporters scuttle programme in memory of Nirbhaya: AAP

The Delhi High court has rebuked the AAP government over their decision to provide compensation and job to the family of ex-Armyman.

Ex-Armyman Ram Kishan Grewal had committed suicide on November 2016 while protesting against One Rank One Pension (OROP) after which the Delhi government decided to confer the status of&nbsp;&quot;martyr&quot;. The government also assured a sum of Rs 1 crore along with a job to his family.

The Delhi High Court responded to the decision by saying government was &quot;setting a trend - commit suicide and get Rs 1 crore compensation.&quot;

It added, &quot;Imagine you are setting a trend, commit suicide and get Rs 1 crore compensation. And, when you are giving Rs 1 crore compensation to his family, where is the question of compensatory employment?&quot; a bench of acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said.

The court&#39;s rebuke came after two petitions were filed in the court against the Delhi government&#39;s decision to accord the status of martyr to Ram Kishan Grewal.

The court also rejected the two pleas citing that it was premature and not maintainable at this stage. It also added that the Lieutenant Governor was to take a decision on the matter.&nbsp;

The Delhi Government has also announced to declare the Rajasthan based politician cum farmer Gajendra Singh Kalyanwat as a marytr. He had allegedly committed suicide during an anti-land bill rally by AAP at Jantar Mantar on April 22, 2015.

The court again dismissed a plea seeking the rejection of Delhi government&#39;s decision on Gajendra Singh Kalyanwat. The courts&nbsp;dismissal was based on the argument that the petition was devoid of merit and the petitioner was unable to place legal explanation of the term &quot;martyr&quot;

Ex-Armyman Ram Kishan Grewal had committed suicide

The Delhi High court has rebuked the AAP government over their decision to provide compensation and job to the family of ex-Armyman. Ex-Armyman Ram Kishan Grewal had committed suicide on November 2016 while protesting against One Rank One Pension (OROP) after which the Delhi government decided to confer the status of "martyr". The government also assured a sum of Rs 1 crore along with a job to his family. The Delhi High Court responded to the decision by saying government was "setting a trend - commit suicide and get Rs 1 crore compensation." It added, "Imagine you are setting a trend, commit suicide and get Rs 1 crore compensation. And, when you are giving Rs 1 crore compensation to his family, where is the question of compensatory employment?" a bench of acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said. The court's rebuke came after two petitions were filed in the court against the Delhi government's decision to accord the status of martyr to Ram Kishan Grewal. The court also rejected the two pleas citing that it was premature and not maintainable at this stage. It also added that the Lieutenant Governor was to take a decision on the matter. The Delhi Government has also announced to declare the Rajasthan based politician cum farmer Gajendra Singh Kalyanwat as a marytr. He had allegedly committed suicide during an anti-land bill rally by AAP at Jantar Mantar on April 22, 2015. The court again dismissed a plea seeking the rejection of Delhi government's decision on Gajendra Singh Kalyanwat. The courts dismissal was based on the argument that the petition was devoid of merit and the petitioner was unable to place legal explanation of the term "martyr"

Delhi govt setting a trend - commit suicide and get Rs 1 crore compensation: Delhi high court

After the Income Tax department slapped a notice of Rs 30.67 crore on the Aam Aadmi Party,&nbsp;the Delhi government termed the move as &quot;bogus&quot; and &quot;political vendetta&quot; by the agencies of the Central government.&nbsp;

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called the Income Tax notice as the &quot;height of political vendetta&quot;.

He tweeted saying &quot; In the history of India, all donations to a political party have been declared illegal. All these were accounted for and shown in the books of accounts. This is height of political vendetta.&quot;

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In the history of India, ALL donations to a political party have been declared illegal. All these were accounted for and shown in books of accounts. This is height of political vendetta
&mdash; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/935093033833447424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The BJP and the Congress hit out at the AAP&#39;s rhetoric of self-proclaimed standards of transparency and probity. The parties asked the Delhi government to come clear on the issue.&nbsp;

Another AAP leader Raghav Chadha tweeted saying AAP is the only political party that maintains 100 per cent propriety, transparency, and compliance in its funding.&nbsp;

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Only political party that maintains 100% propriety, transperancy and compliance in it&#39;s funding being targeted yet again.Centre&#39;s vendetta comes out as an all-out war on this political toddler called AAP as they declare all our donations illegal.
&mdash; Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) <a href="https://twitter.com/raghav_chadha/status/935075991591849984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Suspended party leader Kapil Sharma, however, continued his attack on Arvind Kejriwal. He said that &quot; you misused your experience as income tax officer. But you forgot the power of truth and god.&quot;

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Because you submitted different details to EC, different one to IT and caught taking hawala money. 
 
You misused your experience as income tax officer. 
 
?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?? ???? ??? <a href="https://t.co/JVarZGVMra">https://t.co/JVarZGVMra</a>
&mdash; Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishraAAP) <a href="https://twitter.com/KapilMishraAAP/status/935097205010006016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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???? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???????? ?? ??????? ???? ?? 
 
a. ?? ?????????? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? , ??? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ??? 
 
b. ??????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ?? ?? ????? ??? ???? ????? ?? 
 
c. C
&mdash; Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishraAAP) <a href="https://twitter.com/KapilMishraAAP/status/935172380791468039?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Income Tax department&#39;s notice to AAP with a Rs 30.67 crore tax notice, cited that the party did not disclose income worth Rs 13 crore.

The IT department also pulled up the party for not recording full details of 462 donors who donated Rs 6 crore.

The detailed notice lists the donors who have made donations of more than Rs 20,000 to the party.

The tax assessment notice for financial years 2014-15 and 2015-16 has pegged the AAP&#39;s taxable income at Rs 68.44 crore. According to the notice, the political party failed to disclose donations worth Rs 13 crore.&nbsp;

After the Income Tax department slapped a notice of Rs 30.67 crore on the Aam Aadmi Party,?the Delhi government termed the move as 'bogus' and 'political vendetta' by the agencies of the Central government

After the Income Tax department slapped a notice of Rs 30.67 crore on the Aam Aadmi Party, the Delhi government termed the move as "bogus" and "political vendetta" by the agencies of the Central government. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called the Income Tax notice as the "height of political vendetta". He tweeted saying " In the history of India, all donations to a political party have been declared illegal. All these were accounted for and shown in the books of accounts. This is height of political vendetta." In the history of India, ALL donations to a political party have been declared illegal. All these were accounted for and shown in books of accounts. This is height of political vendetta — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 27, 2017 × The BJP and the Congress hit out at the AAP's rhetoric of self-proclaimed standards of transparency and probity. The parties asked the Delhi government to come clear on the issue. Another AAP leader Raghav Chadha tweeted saying AAP is the only political party that maintains 100 per cent propriety, transparency, and compliance in its funding. Only political party that maintains 100% propriety, transperancy and compliance in it's funding being targeted yet again.Centre's vendetta comes out as an all-out war on this political toddler called AAP as they declare all our donations illegal. — Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) November 27, 2017 × Suspended party leader Kapil Sharma, however, continued his attack on Arvind Kejriwal. He said that " you misused your experience as income tax officer. But you forgot the power of truth and god." Because you submitted different details to EC, different one to IT and caught taking hawala money. You misused your experience as income tax officer. ?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?? ???? ??? https://t.co/JVarZGVMra — Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishraAAP) November 27, 2017 × ???? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???????? ?? ??????? ???? ?? a. ?? ?????????? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? , ??? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ??? b. ??????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ?? ?? ????? ??? ???? ????? ?? c. C — Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishraAAP) November 27, 2017 × The Income Tax department's notice to AAP with a Rs 30.67 crore tax notice, cited that the party did not disclose income worth Rs 13 crore. The IT department also pulled up the party for not recording full details of 462 donors who donated Rs 6 crore. The detailed notice lists the donors who have made donations of more than Rs 20,000 to the party. The tax assessment notice for financial years 2014-15 and 2015-16 has pegged the AAP's taxable income at Rs 68.44 crore. According to the notice, the political party failed to disclose donations worth Rs 13 crore.

AAP calls Rs 30.6 crore IT notice 'political vendetta'

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) arrived with a bang five years ago. But its growth has been quite like the stock of a promising company, whose IPO was a blockbuster on the share market, but fortunes keep oscillating every year.

When the party was formed this day five years ago, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal championed himself as the mascot of the common man and captured the imagination of the people -- and, soon enough, the Assembly in Delhi.

He catapulted himself from an anti-graft activist to a politician, with an appeal that cut across urban and rural areas. But Kejriwal&#39;s influence now seems to have waned and is confined to the national capital.

In the last five years, it has fought four Assembly polls (in Delhi in 2013 and 2015 and in Punjab and Goa in 2017) but made its mark only in Delhi.

The defeat in the other states seems to have severely dented its national ambitions. Its plan to be an alternative to the Congress hasn&#39;t borne fruit either, with the Congress soundly defeating AAP in Punjab.

AAP had earlier announced it would contest the Gujarat Assembly polls. Kejriwal and his team even campaigned in the state several times. But it is now contesting from only a limited number of seats there.

When it comes to party matters, Kejriwal has maintained his tight grip on the outfit. Old-timers recollect that there was a time when AAP posters had nine faces---of Kejriwal, co-founders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Labour Minister Gopal Rai and party leaders Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Pankaj Gupta and Ilyas Azmi. Today, Kejriwal is the only face of the party.

Bhushan and Yadav were sacked from the party after they questioned Kejriwal&#39;s style of functioning while Azmi quit the outfit after being allegedly sidelined. Poet-turned-politician Vishwas shares an uneasy relationship with the leadership.

&quot;The party has obviously floundered and failed to even approximate any of the key ideas it held out---clean politics, good governance and the possibility of a viable opposition. The party built on this spirit is as good as dead,&quot; Yogendra Yadav, now the president of a new political outfit, Swaraj India, told PTI.

The party&#39;s strategy of positioning Kejriwal as the only strong rival against Prime Minister Narendra also seems to have failed. Kejriwal, a vociferous Modi-baiter, now avoids attacking him directly.

But how has the party and its leadership grown over the last five years? Has it been able to meet the people&#39;s expectations after the victories it registered in Delhi in 2013 and 2015?

Sanjay Kumar, a political scientist with the Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), said the party is certainly growing as AAP has in the last five years formed a government in

Delhi twice and is the principal opposition party in Punjab.

&quot;If you look at people&#39;s expectations after its victories in Delhi, it may appear that they have not grown, but look at their performance in Punjab. They have garnered over 20 per cent votes and are the principal opposition party in the state&quot;, Kumar said.

In terms of leadership, Kumar added, Kejriwal&#39;s ratings have gone down in the last three years.

This year alone, apart from Punjab and Goa, the party faced a humiliating defeat in the Rajouri Garden by-poll and MCD elections.

It has, since then, started focusing more on Delhi.

But are party stocks on the decline after the MCD poll rout on its home turf?&nbsp;

Kumar refers to the party&#39;s first major success in Delhi since the 2015 assembly elections, the Bawana by-poll, which AAP won by a margin of over 24,000 votes.

&quot;The Bawana victory (in August 2017) does not indicate a decline,&quot; he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party was formed on November 26, 2012

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) arrived with a bang five years ago. But its growth has been quite like the stock of a promising company, whose IPO was a blockbuster on the share market, but fortunes keep oscillating every year. When the party was formed this day five years ago, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal championed himself as the mascot of the common man and captured the imagination of the people -- and, soon enough, the Assembly in Delhi. He catapulted himself from an anti-graft activist to a politician, with an appeal that cut across urban and rural areas. But Kejriwal's influence now seems to have waned and is confined to the national capital. In the last five years, it has fought four Assembly polls (in Delhi in 2013 and 2015 and in Punjab and Goa in 2017) but made its mark only in Delhi. The defeat in the other states seems to have severely dented its national ambitions. Its plan to be an alternative to the Congress hasn't borne fruit either, with the Congress soundly defeating AAP in Punjab. AAP had earlier announced it would contest the Gujarat Assembly polls. Kejriwal and his team even campaigned in the state several times. But it is now contesting from only a limited number of seats there. When it comes to party matters, Kejriwal has maintained his tight grip on the outfit. Old-timers recollect that there was a time when AAP posters had nine faces---of Kejriwal, co-founders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Labour Minister Gopal Rai and party leaders Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Pankaj Gupta and Ilyas Azmi. Today, Kejriwal is the only face of the party. Bhushan and Yadav were sacked from the party after they questioned Kejriwal's style of functioning while Azmi quit the outfit after being allegedly sidelined. Poet-turned-politician Vishwas shares an uneasy relationship with the leadership. "The party has obviously floundered and failed to even approximate any of the key ideas it held out---clean politics, good governance and the possibility of a viable opposition. The party built on this spirit is as good as dead," Yogendra Yadav, now the president of a new political outfit, Swaraj India, told PTI. The party's strategy of positioning Kejriwal as the only strong rival against Prime Minister Narendra also seems to have failed. Kejriwal, a vociferous Modi-baiter, now avoids attacking him directly. But how has the party and its leadership grown over the last five years? Has it been able to meet the people's expectations after the victories it registered in Delhi in 2013 and 2015? Sanjay Kumar, a political scientist with the Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), said the party is certainly growing as AAP has in the last five years formed a government in Delhi twice and is the principal opposition party in Punjab. "If you look at people's expectations after its victories in Delhi, it may appear that they have not grown, but look at their performance in Punjab. They have garnered over 20 per cent votes and are the principal opposition party in the state", Kumar said. In terms of leadership, Kumar added, Kejriwal's ratings have gone down in the last three years. This year alone, apart from Punjab and Goa, the party faced a humiliating defeat in the Rajouri Garden by-poll and MCD elections. It has, since then, started focusing more on Delhi. But are party stocks on the decline after the MCD poll rout on its home turf? Kumar refers to the party's first major success in Delhi since the 2015 assembly elections, the Bawana by-poll, which AAP won by a margin of over 24,000 votes. "The Bawana victory (in August 2017) does not indicate a decline," he said.

Five years of AAP: A story of many ups and downs

The Centre told a Supreme Court bench headed by CJI Dipak Mishra Tuesday that &quot;Delhi is a&nbsp;Union Territory and the AAP government cannot claim privileges of a state government&quot;.

This comes in the wake of the Kejriwal government telling the Supreme Court that the&nbsp;&quot;Constitution does not say the capital is to be Delhi&quot;.

Ever since Kejriwal-headed AAP came to power in Delhi, the chief minister has raised the issue of full statehood for Delhi.&nbsp;

In a hearing, senior advocate&nbsp;Indira Jaising said: &ldquo;Capital is not defined by any law. Tomorrow, the Centre can decide to move the capital to somewhere else. The Constitution also does not say the capital is to be Delhi. We know that the British moved the capital from Calcutta to Delhi. There is National Capital Territory of Delhi Act but it does not constitute Delhi as the capital of India.&quot;

&ldquo;I am not claiming that Delhi is a state as it has an assembly and a council of ministers headed by the chief minister. But like the executive powers of the states and the Centre are defined and made exclusive, a similar solution needs to be found for Delhi,&rdquo; Jaising added.

The Supreme Court refused to get into the argument and did not reply.

Last week, India&#39;s top court had said the position of Delhi is &quot;different from other states&quot; and the elected government is under an &quot;obligation&quot; to apprise the Lieutenant Governor about policy decisions.&nbsp;

India&#39;s highest court had informed the Kejriwal-led government that a &quot;balance&quot; needed to be maintained between the powers of the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi, chief minister and council of ministers.

&nbsp;

The Kejriwal government had earlier said to the Supreme Court the 'Constitution does not say the capital is to be Delhi'

The Centre told a Supreme Court bench headed by CJI Dipak Mishra Tuesday that "Delhi is a Union Territory and the AAP government cannot claim privileges of a state government". This comes in the wake of the Kejriwal government telling the Supreme Court that the "Constitution does not say the capital is to be Delhi". Ever since Kejriwal-headed AAP came to power in Delhi, the chief minister has raised the issue of full statehood for Delhi. In a hearing, senior advocate Indira Jaising said: “Capital is not defined by any law. Tomorrow, the Centre can decide to move the capital to somewhere else. The Constitution also does not say the capital is to be Delhi. We know that the British moved the capital from Calcutta to Delhi. There is National Capital Territory of Delhi Act but it does not constitute Delhi as the capital of India." “I am not claiming that Delhi is a state as it has an assembly and a council of ministers headed by the chief minister. But like the executive powers of the states and the Centre are defined and made exclusive, a similar solution needs to be found for Delhi,” Jaising added. The Supreme Court refused to get into the argument and did not reply. Last week, India's top court had said the position of Delhi is "different from other states" and the elected government is under an "obligation" to apprise the Lieutenant Governor about policy decisions. India's highest court had informed the Kejriwal-led government that a "balance" needed to be maintained between the powers of the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi, chief minister and council of ministers.

Centre to SC: 'Delhi is union territory, AAP cannot claim privileges of state government'

Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit has hit out at the AAP government, saying lack of preparedness in tackling pollution in the national capital shows &quot;failure of governance&quot;, and pitched for a Centre-led panel to deal with the issue of pollution.

Dikshit also criticised the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation for making &quot;pronouncements&quot; but not following them up, and said the government used its run-ins with the Lieutenant Governor (LG) as an &quot;excuse&quot; for not delivering.

The veteran Congress leader said the Delhi government &quot;failed&quot; to anticipate the pollution crisis despite it being a repeat of that last year when stubble burning was again supposed to have been a major cause for toxic air.

&quot;It is nothing that has happened which wasn&#39;t expected and not to be prepared for it is a failure of governance,&quot; Dikshit told PTI here in an interview. 
She called for a committee to deal with the issue.

&quot;I personally feel now that the government of India should make a committee of people representing Punjab, Haryana, UP and of course Delhi and see that before the stubbling takes place, a method is found on how to deal with it (stubble burning),&quot; the three-time chief minister of Delhi said.

A &quot;substantially knowledgeable&quot; panel has to be formed, she said, adding that it must comprise experts, who can find a solution to the problem of increasing pollution.

On the issue of stubble or crop residue burning, Dikshit said the Delhi government should have worked with the Punjab, Haryana and the Uttar Pradesh governments to find an alternative to it.

She also suggested that governments look into pooling in resources to deploy machines which can roll up the stubble so that it can be used for something else rather than being burnt, which significantly leads to smoke and pollution.

The National Green Tribunal had earlier this month issued a slew of directions to deal with the worsening air quality in Delhi and neighboring states, banning construction, industrial activities and entry of trucks, while lambasting the Delhi government and civic bodies for the situation.

Dikshit, who was the chief minister of Delhi from 1998- 2013, also said there was a need to have a vision for Delhi which was &quot;all collapsing&quot; as a capital city.

Slamming the AAP dispensation for not following up on their promises, she alleged that even the work which her government had started, such as north Delhi&#39;s Signature Bridge project, was not being completed.

On the LG-AAP government frequent confrontations, she said Delhi did not have full statehood and so it lacked the kind of freedom that UP, Madhya Pradesh or Haryana enjoyed. 
The government has to work within the framework of the Constitution applicable to Delhi and it is to be done with the central government&#39;s cooperation, the 79-year-old leader said.

&quot;But to keep on saying (that the Centre is not allowing them to work) now looks as though it is an excuse not to do anything,&quot; she said, adding that under her administration Delhi changed despite the system and the Constitution is the same.

&quot;You are finding excuses for not working, blaming everybody else except yourself. Why are you not working,&quot; Dikshit said about the AAP government. 
Stressing that cooperation was an important factor in governance, she said the AAP government should resolve its differences with the LG and the Centre for the good of Delhi&#39;s residents.

&quot;Everybody is interested in making this look like a real capital city and it had started looking like a capital city. It is one of the top capitals of the world but now it&#39;s all collapsing,&quot; Dikshit lamented.

&nbsp;

The former Delhi chief minister pitched for a Centre-led panel to deal with the issue of pollution

Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit has hit out at the AAP government, saying lack of preparedness in tackling pollution in the national capital shows "failure of governance", and pitched for a Centre-led panel to deal with the issue of pollution. Dikshit also criticised the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation for making "pronouncements" but not following them up, and said the government used its run-ins with the Lieutenant Governor (LG) as an "excuse" for not delivering. The veteran Congress leader said the Delhi government "failed" to anticipate the pollution crisis despite it being a repeat of that last year when stubble burning was again supposed to have been a major cause for toxic air. "It is nothing that has happened which wasn't expected and not to be prepared for it is a failure of governance," Dikshit told PTI here in an interview. She called for a committee to deal with the issue. "I personally feel now that the government of India should make a committee of people representing Punjab, Haryana, UP and of course Delhi and see that before the stubbling takes place, a method is found on how to deal with it (stubble burning)," the three-time chief minister of Delhi said. A "substantially knowledgeable" panel has to be formed, she said, adding that it must comprise experts, who can find a solution to the problem of increasing pollution. On the issue of stubble or crop residue burning, Dikshit said the Delhi government should have worked with the Punjab, Haryana and the Uttar Pradesh governments to find an alternative to it. She also suggested that governments look into pooling in resources to deploy machines which can roll up the stubble so that it can be used for something else rather than being burnt, which significantly leads to smoke and pollution. The National Green Tribunal had earlier this month issued a slew of directions to deal with the worsening air quality in Delhi and neighboring states, banning construction, industrial activities and entry of trucks, while lambasting the Delhi government and civic bodies for the situation. Dikshit, who was the chief minister of Delhi from 1998- 2013, also said there was a need to have a vision for Delhi which was "all collapsing" as a capital city. Slamming the AAP dispensation for not following up on their promises, she alleged that even the work which her government had started, such as north Delhi's Signature Bridge project, was not being completed. On the LG-AAP government frequent confrontations, she said Delhi did not have full statehood and so it lacked the kind of freedom that UP, Madhya Pradesh or Haryana enjoyed. The government has to work within the framework of the Constitution applicable to Delhi and it is to be done with the central government's cooperation, the 79-year-old leader said. "But to keep on saying (that the Centre is not allowing them to work) now looks as though it is an excuse not to do anything," she said, adding that under her administration Delhi changed despite the system and the Constitution is the same. "You are finding excuses for not working, blaming everybody else except yourself. Why are you not working," Dikshit said about the AAP government. Stressing that cooperation was an important factor in governance, she said the AAP government should resolve its differences with the LG and the Centre for the good of Delhi's residents. "Everybody is interested in making this look like a real capital city and it had started looking like a capital city. It is one of the top capitals of the world but now it's all collapsing," Dikshit lamented.

AAP inability to tackle pollution governance failure: Sheila Dikshit

Authorities in Delhi have over Rs 1,500 crore, collected as green fund to combat air pollution, lying largely unused, even as the national capital struggles to ward off a toxic haze.

The lion&#39;s share of the amount - Rs 1,003 crore (till November 10) - comes from an Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) imposed by the Supreme Court in 2015 on trucks entering Delhi while the rest is made up of cess on every litre of diesel sold, in effect since 2008.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has amassed Rs 62 crore as one per cent cess from dealers selling diesel cars with engine capacity of 2000cc+ and above in the Delhi-NCR region following a directive of the Supreme Court in August last year.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) collects the ECC and hands over the amount to the city&#39;s transport department every Friday, Usman Nasim, a researcher with the Centre For Science and Environment (CSE), said.

The cess on diesel was announced by the Sheila Dikshit government in December 2007 as part of its efforts to control air pollution due to vehicular emissions.

The corpus, known as &#39;Air Ambience Fund&#39;, is maintained by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). Over the years, it has assumed a substantial size and stands at around Rs 500 crore currently, Nasim said.

When contacted, a senior transport department official of the Delhi government said that only yesterday (on Tuesday) a decision has been taken to use the fund to subsidise the procurement of electric buses.

&quot;We will use the fund for electric mobility. E-buses are very costly upfront and need to be subsidised in the first phase. Subsequently, running them does not entail much expenditure,&quot; the official said.

However, it could not be immediately confirmed as to how many electric buses the government is planning to buy and the amount required to do so.

Moreover, around Rs 120 crore from the ECC corpus will also be used to install radio-frequency identification devices (RFID) on trucks for effective and credible collection of levy and the ECC, according to a 2016 Supreme Court order.

The CPCB plans to use a part of its green fund, collected as the diesel cess, for conducting studies on improvement and management of air quality in the region, while around Rs 2.5 crore is being used in setting up pollution monitoring centres across NCR.

The apex pollution regulator recently invited Expression of Interest (EOI) and proposals for such studies, which, it said will lay major emphasis on boosting its pollution monitoring infrastructure.

According to the EOI document, the projects will have to focus on areas such as the health impact of air pollution and on possible steps to create awareness among the masses by installing LED panels displaying pollution levels among others.

The lion's share of the amount Rs 1,003 crore (till November 10) comes from an environment compensation charge (ECC)

Authorities in Delhi have over Rs 1,500 crore, collected as green fund to combat air pollution, lying largely unused, even as the national capital struggles to ward off a toxic haze. The lion's share of the amount - Rs 1,003 crore (till November 10) - comes from an Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) imposed by the Supreme Court in 2015 on trucks entering Delhi while the rest is made up of cess on every litre of diesel sold, in effect since 2008. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has amassed Rs 62 crore as one per cent cess from dealers selling diesel cars with engine capacity of 2000cc+ and above in the Delhi-NCR region following a directive of the Supreme Court in August last year. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) collects the ECC and hands over the amount to the city's transport department every Friday, Usman Nasim, a researcher with the Centre For Science and Environment (CSE), said. The cess on diesel was announced by the Sheila Dikshit government in December 2007 as part of its efforts to control air pollution due to vehicular emissions. The corpus, known as 'Air Ambience Fund', is maintained by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). Over the years, it has assumed a substantial size and stands at around Rs 500 crore currently, Nasim said. When contacted, a senior transport department official of the Delhi government said that only yesterday (on Tuesday) a decision has been taken to use the fund to subsidise the procurement of electric buses. "We will use the fund for electric mobility. E-buses are very costly upfront and need to be subsidised in the first phase. Subsequently, running them does not entail much expenditure," the official said. However, it could not be immediately confirmed as to how many electric buses the government is planning to buy and the amount required to do so. Moreover, around Rs 120 crore from the ECC corpus will also be used to install radio-frequency identification devices (RFID) on trucks for effective and credible collection of levy and the ECC, according to a 2016 Supreme Court order. The CPCB plans to use a part of its green fund, collected as the diesel cess, for conducting studies on improvement and management of air quality in the region, while around Rs 2.5 crore is being used in setting up pollution monitoring centres across NCR. The apex pollution regulator recently invited Expression of Interest (EOI) and proposals for such studies, which, it said will lay major emphasis on boosting its pollution monitoring infrastructure. According to the EOI document, the projects will have to focus on areas such as the health impact of air pollution and on possible steps to create awareness among the masses by installing LED panels displaying pollution levels among others.

Over Rs 1,500 crore green fund lying largely unused in smog-hit Delhi

The Delhi government has filed a fresh review petition with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) regarding odd-even policy.

The state government has again requested that two-wheelers and woman drivers be exempt from the scheme for one year or till 2,000 additional buses are engaged by the city.

The state government has also requested neighbouring states to implement the odd-even scheme.

The NGT had earlier today refused to exempt women and two-wheelers from the odd-even scheme.

It also directed the government ensure that over-10-year-old diesel vehicles be taken off the city&#39;s roads without delay.

Expressing concern over the rising pollution in Delhi, the bench said the city should &quot;not gift infected lungs to its children&quot;.&nbsp;

NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also asked the AAP government to identify the most-polluted areas in the city and sprinkle water on them from high-rise buildings.

The NGT however allowed non-polluting industries which manufacture essential goods to continue functioning.&nbsp;

The Delhi government had scrapped its plan to implement the odd-even scheme from November 13 after the NGT said there would be no exemptions from the scheme for women drivers, two-wheelers, and government servants.

The state government has again requested that two-wheelers and woman drivers be exempt from the scheme for one year or till 2,000 additional buses are engaged by the city

The Delhi government has filed a fresh review petition with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) regarding odd-even policy. The state government has again requested that two-wheelers and woman drivers be exempt from the scheme for one year or till 2,000 additional buses are engaged by the city. The state government has also requested neighbouring states to implement the odd-even scheme. The NGT had earlier today refused to exempt women and two-wheelers from the odd-even scheme. It also directed the government ensure that over-10-year-old diesel vehicles be taken off the city's roads without delay. Expressing concern over the rising pollution in Delhi, the bench said the city should "not gift infected lungs to its children". NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also asked the AAP government to identify the most-polluted areas in the city and sprinkle water on them from high-rise buildings. The NGT however allowed non-polluting industries which manufacture essential goods to continue functioning. The Delhi government had scrapped its plan to implement the odd-even scheme from November 13 after the NGT said there would be no exemptions from the scheme for women drivers, two-wheelers, and government servants.

Odd-even: Delhi government files fresh review petition with NGT

The Aam Aadmi Party has decided to nominate Raghuram Rajan, the former Reserve Bank Governor, to the Rajya Sabha, reports said.&nbsp;

Reports indicate that his name is being considered for one of the three Rajya Sabha seats from Delhi.

His name was discussed at a party meeting which included AAP chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

A letter has also been sent to him.&nbsp;However, the letter is still awaiting a reply from the ex-RBI chief.&nbsp;

It is also speculated that the party is looking for candidates other than politicians for the three Rajya Sabha openings.&nbsp;

Rajan&#39;s three-year term as RBI Governor ended on September 4, 2016.&nbsp;

He currently teaches at the University of Chicago.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Reports indicate that his name is being considered for one of the three Rajya Sabha seats from Delhi

The Aam Aadmi Party has decided to nominate Raghuram Rajan, the former Reserve Bank Governor, to the Rajya Sabha, reports said. Reports indicate that his name is being considered for one of the three Rajya Sabha seats from Delhi. His name was discussed at a party meeting which included AAP chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. A letter has also been sent to him. However, the letter is still awaiting a reply from the ex-RBI chief. It is also speculated that the party is looking for candidates other than politicians for the three Rajya Sabha openings. Rajan's three-year term as RBI Governor ended on September 4, 2016. He currently teaches at the University of Chicago.

AAP may nominate ex- RBI chief Raghuram Rajan to Rajya Sabha

The Congress&#39;s Sunil Jakhar has won the Gurdaspur bypoll by close to two lakh votes.&nbsp;

The BJP came in second, and the AAP third.&nbsp;

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Punjab: Congress&#39;s Sunil Jakhar wins <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GurdaspurLokSabhaBypoll?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GurdaspurLokSabhaBypoll</a> by 1,93,219 votes <a href="https://t.co/rZMlF9qTvX">pic.twitter.com/rZMlF9qTvX</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/919461034070380544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Punjab?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Punjab</a> Congress: 4,99,752, BJP 3,06,533, AAP 23,579 votes.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GurdaspurLokSabhaBypoll?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GurdaspurLokSabhaBypoll</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/919472565852049408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Counting began this morning. The bypoll -- necessitated by the death of the BJP&#39;s Vinod Khanna -- took place on October 11.&nbsp;

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Punjab: Congress workers and leaders celebrate as party leads by more than 1 lakh votes in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GurdaspurLokSabhaBypoll?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GurdaspurLokSabhaBypoll</a> <a href="https://t.co/gYlPec5EKG">pic.twitter.com/gYlPec5EKG</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/919444598396559360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Gurdaspur bypoll is being seen as a referendum on Punjab&#39;s six-month-old Congress government.&nbsp;

Jakhar himself had billed the bypoll as a referendum on the Narendra&nbsp;Modi-led government at the Centre and its policies.&nbsp;

&quot;People of Gurdaspur have sent a strong message of their resentment to policies pursued by Modiji-led Centre,&quot; ANI reported Jakhar as saying.&nbsp;

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Ppl of Gurdaspur have sent a strong message of their resentment to policies pursued by Modi Ji led Centre: Sunil Jakhar <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GurdaspurByPoll?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GurdaspurByPoll</a> <a href="https://t.co/6JMxqdHK0k">pic.twitter.com/6JMxqdHK0k</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/919440515371696134?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&quot;This is a beautiful Diwali gift, packed with a red ribbon, for our would-be party president Rahul Gandhi,&quot; ANI reported Navjot Sidhu, who recently joined the Congress from the BJP, as saying.&nbsp;

The Congress's Sunil Jakhar has won the Gurdaspur bypoll by close to two lakh votes. The BJP came in second, and the AAP third. Punjab: Congress's Sunil Jakhar wins #GurdaspurLokSabhaBypoll by 1,93,219 votes pic.twitter.com/rZMlF9qTvX — ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2017 × #Punjab Congress: 4,99,752, BJP 3,06,533, AAP 23,579 votes.#GurdaspurLokSabhaBypoll — ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2017 × Counting began this morning. The bypoll -- necessitated by the death of the BJP's Vinod Khanna -- took place on October 11. Punjab: Congress workers and leaders celebrate as party leads by more than 1 lakh votes in #GurdaspurLokSabhaBypoll pic.twitter.com/gYlPec5EKG — ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2017 × The Gurdaspur bypoll is being seen as a referendum on Punjab's six-month-old Congress government. Jakhar himself had billed the bypoll as a referendum on the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre and its policies. "People of Gurdaspur have sent a strong message of their resentment to policies pursued by Modiji-led Centre," ANI reported Jakhar as saying. Ppl of Gurdaspur have sent a strong message of their resentment to policies pursued by Modi Ji led Centre: Sunil Jakhar #GurdaspurByPoll pic.twitter.com/6JMxqdHK0k — ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2017 × "This is a beautiful Diwali gift, packed with a red ribbon, for our would-be party president Rahul Gandhi," ANI reported Navjot Sidhu, who recently joined the Congress from the BJP, as saying.

Gurdaspur bypoll: Congress's Sunil Jakhar wins, says voters have rejected PM Modi's policies

The CBI went to Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain&#39;s residence on Monday to quiz his wife in connection with the alleged money laundering case.&nbsp;

The Aam Aadmi Party hit back by accusing&nbsp;the federal government of &quot;vendetta politics&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;Central government of BJP is misusing CBI for its vendetta politics. After Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, BJP&#39;s CBI raids on Minister,&quot; the party said in a tweet.

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&quot;Vendetta Politics Continues&quot; 
After CM Arvind Kejriwal and Dy CM Manish Sisodia, BJP&#39;s CBI raids Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/SatyendarJain">@SatyendarJain</a>. <a href="https://t.co/8Q8sT5srQn">pic.twitter.com/8Q8sT5srQn</a>
&mdash; AAP (@AamAadmiParty) <a href="https://twitter.com/AamAadmiParty/status/876690752406921216">June 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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CBI had registered a preliminary enquiry&nbsp;against Jain in April. The Delhi minister is alleged to be involved in money laundering to the tune of Rs 4.63 crore while he was a public servant in 2015-16.&nbsp;

Jain has dismissed any wrongdoing after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached properties linked to him in the matter last month.

A preliminary enquiry is the first step by the CBI to gather information about allegations. If the agency is convinced that there exists prima facie material in the matter, it may register a regular case against the accused.

Allegations against Jain also include purported money laundering to the tune of Rs 11.78 crore during between 2010 and 2012.&nbsp;

AAP has accused Narendra Modi's federal government of 'vendetta politics'

The CBI went to Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain's residence on Monday to quiz his wife in connection with the alleged money laundering case. The Aam Aadmi Party hit back by accusing the federal government of "vendetta politics". "Central government of BJP is misusing CBI for its vendetta politics. After Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, BJP's CBI raids on Minister," the party said in a tweet. "Vendetta Politics Continues" After CM Arvind Kejriwal and Dy CM Manish Sisodia, BJP's CBI raids Minister @SatyendarJain. pic.twitter.com/8Q8sT5srQn — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) June 19, 2017 × CBI had registered a preliminary enquiry against Jain in April. The Delhi minister is alleged to be involved in money laundering to the tune of Rs 4.63 crore while he was a public servant in 2015-16. Jain has dismissed any wrongdoing after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached properties linked to him in the matter last month. A preliminary enquiry is the first step by the CBI to gather information about allegations. If the agency is convinced that there exists prima facie material in the matter, it may register a regular case against the accused. Allegations against Jain also include purported money laundering to the tune of Rs 11.78 crore during between 2010 and 2012.

CBI questions AAP minister Satyendra Jain's wife over money laundering allegations

The AAP crisis deepened further on Saturday&nbsp;&nbsp;with its leader Kumar Vishwas hitting out at its &quot;palace politics&quot;, even as posters came up outside its headquarters dubbing him a &quot;friend of the BJP&quot; and a &quot;traitor&quot;. 
 
Vishwas, who was recently appointed the party&#39;s Rajasthan affairs in-charge, made a pointed remark that he would ensure the workers under him adhered to the Aam Aadmi Party&#39;s (AAP) &quot;core principles&quot; and went back to its &quot;basics&quot;. 
 
He briefly attended a farmers&#39; convention organised by the party at the Constitution Club here, where the body language of the leaders was reflective of the internal dissidence. 
 
&quot;We (AAP) did not come into being for these conspiracies and palace politics hatched by five-six people. We are for the causes based on which the party was born at the Ramlila Maidan. The party will fight the Rajasthan polls on its real principles,&quot; Vishwas told reporters on the sidelines of the event. 
 
Earlier, he had held a &quot;coterie&quot; around Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal &quot;responsible&quot; for the party&#39;s recent poll debacles, while distancing himself from the official party line of &quot;manipulation&quot; of electronic voting machines (EVMs). 
 
Drawing on characters from the Ramayana, the poet- turned-politician said that during every churning, &quot;demons&quot; did show up. 
 
Meanwhile, posters terming Vishwas as a &quot;friend of the BJP&quot; and a &quot;betrayer&quot; who should be &quot;thrown out&quot; of the party came up outside the AAP headquarters in central Delhi. 
 
&quot;A friend of the BJP, he is not a poet but a traitor. He attacks while in hiding and backstabs. Remove such a traitor,&quot; read the posters, which also &quot;thanked&quot; former AAP Delhi convenor Dilip Pandey for &quot;exposing&quot; Vishwas. 
 
Pandey had recently accused Vishwas of being &quot;silent&quot; on the &quot;transgressions&quot; of the BJP. 
 
However, the party distanced itself from the posters. 
 
&quot;A few suspended workers are trying to divide the party leadership by putting up such posters,&quot; AAP&#39;s social media in-charge Ankit Lal wrote on Twitter. 
 
(PTI)

Kumar Vishwas had earlier blamed a coterie around Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal for the party's recent poll debacles

The AAP crisis deepened further on Saturday with its leader Kumar Vishwas hitting out at its "palace politics", even as posters came up outside its headquarters dubbing him a "friend of the BJP" and a "traitor". Vishwas, who was recently appointed the party's Rajasthan affairs in-charge, made a pointed remark that he would ensure the workers under him adhered to the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) "core principles" and went back to its "basics". He briefly attended a farmers' convention organised by the party at the Constitution Club here, where the body language of the leaders was reflective of the internal dissidence. "We (AAP) did not come into being for these conspiracies and palace politics hatched by five-six people. We are for the causes based on which the party was born at the Ramlila Maidan. The party will fight the Rajasthan polls on its real principles," Vishwas told reporters on the sidelines of the event. Earlier, he had held a "coterie" around Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal "responsible" for the party's recent poll debacles, while distancing himself from the official party line of "manipulation" of electronic voting machines (EVMs). Drawing on characters from the Ramayana, the poet- turned-politician said that during every churning, "demons" did show up. Meanwhile, posters terming Vishwas as a "friend of the BJP" and a "betrayer" who should be "thrown out" of the party came up outside the AAP headquarters in central Delhi. "A friend of the BJP, he is not a poet but a traitor. He attacks while in hiding and backstabs. Remove such a traitor," read the posters, which also "thanked" former AAP Delhi convenor Dilip Pandey for "exposing" Vishwas. Pandey had recently accused Vishwas of being "silent" on the "transgressions" of the BJP. However, the party distanced itself from the posters. "A few suspended workers are trying to divide the party leadership by putting up such posters," AAP's social media in-charge Ankit Lal wrote on Twitter. (PTI)

After posters calling him traitor, Kumar Vishwas hits out at 'palace politics' in AAP

The CBI on Friday today visited premises of Delhi Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia over a preliminary enquiry against him related to alleged irregularities in the Aam Aadmi Party&#39;s &quot;Talk to AK&quot; campaign.

The investigating agency also clarified that no search or raid was conducted, since as per rules, no search or raid can be conducted under a preliminary enquiry.

The agency had registered the enquiry in January this year on the basis of a complaint filed by the Delhi government&#39;s vigilance department, alleging that the government hired a consultant for promoting a media campaign despite objections by the principal secretary.

The complainant had alleged that a consultant of a well-known public relations company was hired by the Delhi government to promote &quot;Talk to AK&quot; (Talk to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal) campaign and a proposal of Rs 1.5 crore was prepared for this purpose.

The CBI has registered a preliminary enquiry to investigate the allegations and is probing the alleged role of Manish Sisodia and others.&nbsp; 
 
(WION)

CBI visited the Delhi Deputy chief minister's home over an enquiry related to alleged irregularities in the AAP's 'Talk to AK' campaign

The CBI on Friday today visited premises of Delhi Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia over a preliminary enquiry against him related to alleged irregularities in the Aam Aadmi Party's "Talk to AK" campaign. The investigating agency also clarified that no search or raid was conducted, since as per rules, no search or raid can be conducted under a preliminary enquiry. The agency had registered the enquiry in January this year on the basis of a complaint filed by the Delhi government's vigilance department, alleging that the government hired a consultant for promoting a media campaign despite objections by the principal secretary. The complainant had alleged that a consultant of a well-known public relations company was hired by the Delhi government to promote "Talk to AK" (Talk to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal) campaign and a proposal of Rs 1.5 crore was prepared for this purpose. The CBI has registered a preliminary enquiry to investigate the allegations and is probing the alleged role of Manish Sisodia and others. (WION)

No raids on Manish Sisodia's house, only preliminary enquiry, clarifies CBI

The Public Works Department (PWD) of the Delhi government has slapped a fine of Rs 27 lakh on the AAP for &quot;unauthorised occupation&quot; of a bungalow in Rouse Avenue.

The PWD has issued a notice to AAP national secretary Pankaj Gupta over its continued occupation of 206, Rouse Avenue as party office.

Sources in the government told PTI that as on May 31, the fine, which is essentially penal rent, amounts to Rs 27,73,802.

The fine amount, which is 65 times the license fee, will pile up further if the party doesn&#39;t vacate the premises, the sources said.

In April, the PWD had issued a notice to AAP&#39;s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal asking him to immediately vacate the office, which it said that was allotted in &quot;violation&quot; of rules.

The party had then said that it would seek a legal recourse against this action as other political parties too have been allotted bungalows to use as office space.

The three-member Shunglu committee, formed by the then Lt Governor Najeeb Jung to examine over 400 files pertaining to the decisions taken by the AAP government, had pointed out &quot;irregularities&quot; in allotting the office.

In November 2015, the AAP government had approved a policy for land allotment to state parties.&nbsp;The Kejriwal government then allotted a bungalow to the AAP on Rouse Avenue the following year.

The bungalow was earlier allotted to Asim Ahmed Khan, the then Delhi minister, who was sacked over graft charges.

(PTI)

&nbsp;

In April, the PWD had issued a notice to AAP's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal asking him to immediately vacate the office

The Public Works Department (PWD) of the Delhi government has slapped a fine of Rs 27 lakh on the AAP for "unauthorised occupation" of a bungalow in Rouse Avenue. The PWD has issued a notice to AAP national secretary Pankaj Gupta over its continued occupation of 206, Rouse Avenue as party office. Sources in the government told PTI that as on May 31, the fine, which is essentially penal rent, amounts to Rs 27,73,802. The fine amount, which is 65 times the license fee, will pile up further if the party doesn't vacate the premises, the sources said. In April, the PWD had issued a notice to AAP's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal asking him to immediately vacate the office, which it said that was allotted in "violation" of rules. The party had then said that it would seek a legal recourse against this action as other political parties too have been allotted bungalows to use as office space. The three-member Shunglu committee, formed by the then Lt Governor Najeeb Jung to examine over 400 files pertaining to the decisions taken by the AAP government, had pointed out "irregularities" in allotting the office. In November 2015, the AAP government had approved a policy for land allotment to state parties. The Kejriwal government then allotted a bungalow to the AAP on Rouse Avenue the following year. The bungalow was earlier allotted to Asim Ahmed Khan, the then Delhi minister, who was sacked over graft charges. (PTI)

Delhi: PWD slaps 27 lakh fine on AAP over unauthorised house occupation

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