Senior AAP leader Kumar Vishwas Sunday came out in support of Arvind Kejriwal, saying he has known him for 12 years and even his enemies cannot imagine him taking a bribe.

His remarks came hours after Kapil Mishra, who was yesterday sacked as Delhi water minister, alleged that he saw Delhi Health Minister Satyendra&nbsp;Jain giving Kejriwal Rs 2 crore.

&quot;We can disagree, fight or be disappointed with each other ... I know Arvind for 12 years and I can say that I cannot imagine him taking a bribe or being corrupt ... Even his enemies cannot imagine this,&quot; he told reporters.

&quot;Kejriwal has said this 100 times that he should be removed if he is corrupt. I have called Satyendra Jain and asked him to explain his position in the PAC (Political Affairs Committee) ... Whether he is being framed or has there been a mistake, we are ready for an investigation ... Be it an ED&nbsp;(Enforcement Directorate) or a CBI probe,&quot; Vishwas said.

He told reporters that the AAP&#39;s Political Affairs Committee will meet either in the evening or tomorrow.

&quot;I feel sad about the allegations. Be it about the party&#39;s internal talk, discrepancies in ticket distribution, loopholes in political agenda but it is wrong to level such allegations publicly,&quot; he said.

Mishra is considered close to Vishwas, who had recently threatened to quit the party. The former Delhi water minister had extended support to Vishwas when he had clashed with the party leadership.

Earlier in the day, Mishra said he gave a statement to Lt Governor Anil Baijal on &quot;various irregularities he witnessed during his two-year stint as a minister in the Kejriwal government&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

 
&nbsp;

AAP leader Kumar Vishwas said even Arvind Kejriwal's enemies could not imagine him taking a bribe

Senior AAP leader Kumar Vishwas Sunday came out in support of Arvind Kejriwal, saying he has known him for 12 years and even his enemies cannot imagine him taking a bribe. His remarks came hours after Kapil Mishra, who was yesterday sacked as Delhi water minister, alleged that he saw Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain giving Kejriwal Rs 2 crore. "We can disagree, fight or be disappointed with each other ... I know Arvind for 12 years and I can say that I cannot imagine him taking a bribe or being corrupt ... Even his enemies cannot imagine this," he told reporters. "Kejriwal has said this 100 times that he should be removed if he is corrupt. I have called Satyendra Jain and asked him to explain his position in the PAC (Political Affairs Committee) ... Whether he is being framed or has there been a mistake, we are ready for an investigation ... Be it an ED (Enforcement Directorate) or a CBI probe," Vishwas said. He told reporters that the AAP's Political Affairs Committee will meet either in the evening or tomorrow. "I feel sad about the allegations. Be it about the party's internal talk, discrepancies in ticket distribution, loopholes in political agenda but it is wrong to level such allegations publicly," he said. Mishra is considered close to Vishwas, who had recently threatened to quit the party. The former Delhi water minister had extended support to Vishwas when he had clashed with the party leadership. Earlier in the day, Mishra said he gave a statement to Lt Governor Anil Baijal on "various irregularities he witnessed during his two-year stint as a minister in the Kejriwal government". (PTI)

Known Kejriwal for 12 years, cannot imagine him taking bribe: Kumar Vishwas

With the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) facing a rift, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia are making efforts to convince co-founder member Kumar Vishwas, who had hinted at breaking up from the party here.

&quot;Kumar Vishwas is an integral part of our movement. He has some grudges and I am sure we will convince him,&quot; Kejriwal said after a late night meeting on Tuesday.

The Delhi Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister went to Vishwas&#39; residence in Ghaziabad to hold talks with him.

Earlier on Tuesday,&nbsp;Vishwas accused the AAP leaders of conspiring against him.

&quot;The things Amanatullah has said about me, if he had said the same for Arvind Kejriwal or Manish Sisodia, he would have been thrown out of the party in 10 minutes. But he had said such thing so many times, yet he wasn&#39;t ousted,&quot; Vishwas told the media here.

&quot;Amanatullah is just a mask; someone else is speaking behind his mask. I would appeal to them to not go against me as I had once put up posters for AAP and defended them,&quot; he added.

He said that he will not compromise with his principles and soon take a call on his future action.

&quot;Will not keep silent on the mistakes of the AAP party,&quot; said Vishwas, adding, &quot;I&#39;m not interested in becoming the Chief Minister ever&quot;.

He clarified that he will not join any political party.

Earlier, AAP leader Amanatullah Khan had asserted that Vishwas was &#39;planted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)&#39;.

Amanatullah yesterday resigned from the party&#39;s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) following a high-end meeting of the party members with Kumar Vishwas conspicuously absent. 
 
(ANI)

After a late night meeting with Kumar Vishwas, Kejriwal said he was sure the party would be able to convince the disgruntled leader

With the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) facing a rift, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia are making efforts to convince co-founder member Kumar Vishwas, who had hinted at breaking up from the party here. "Kumar Vishwas is an integral part of our movement. He has some grudges and I am sure we will convince him," Kejriwal said after a late night meeting on Tuesday. The Delhi Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister went to Vishwas' residence in Ghaziabad to hold talks with him. Earlier on Tuesday, Vishwas accused the AAP leaders of conspiring against him. "The things Amanatullah has said about me, if he had said the same for Arvind Kejriwal or Manish Sisodia, he would have been thrown out of the party in 10 minutes. But he had said such thing so many times, yet he wasn't ousted," Vishwas told the media here. "Amanatullah is just a mask; someone else is speaking behind his mask. I would appeal to them to not go against me as I had once put up posters for AAP and defended them," he added. He said that he will not compromise with his principles and soon take a call on his future action. "Will not keep silent on the mistakes of the AAP party," said Vishwas, adding, "I'm not interested in becoming the Chief Minister ever". He clarified that he will not join any political party. Earlier, AAP leader Amanatullah Khan had asserted that Vishwas was 'planted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)'. Amanatullah yesterday resigned from the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) following a high-end meeting of the party members with Kumar Vishwas conspicuously absent. (ANI)

Arvind Kejriwal plays peacemaker as Kumar Vishwas threatens to quit over 'coterie' against him

The crisis in the political party that governs India&#39;s Delhi NCT may have been averted after one of their aggrieved senior party members was made in-charge of northern Rajasthan state on Wednesday.

The mutiny within the party has also been put to rest after one of their local lawmakers who allegedly tried to spread canards has been suspended.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also set up a disciplinary committee to probe comments made by the suspended lawmaker.

AAP shows confidence in Kumar Vishwas

Earlier in the day, senior party member Kumar Vishwas had threatened to quit the party after Okhla lawmaker&nbsp;Amanatullah Khan had accused him of being an agent of Narendra Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Stung by the allegations and the recent poll drubbings the party received in Punjab and Delhi, Vishwas felt that the party needed to introspect instead of complaining of voting irregularities.

AAP&#39;s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and other leaders have primarily blamed faulty voting machines for their recent reverses. They claim that the voting machines were rigged by Modi&#39;s BJP to their advantage in the recent elections.

But Vishwas&#39; comment about the need to introspect prompted the Okhla lawmaker &nbsp;to say he was a &quot;BJP agent&quot;.

But a three-hour emergency meeting with party head Kejriwal and other senior leaders has subdued the gremlins in Vishwas&#39; head. The party leader had met Vishwas last night to dispel any grudges the latter had.

The Aam Aadmi Party&nbsp;announced that Vishwas would be given more responsibilities.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia told reporters: &quot;He (Vishwas) will be Rajasthan&rsquo;s party in-charge as the state goes to polls next year.&quot;

The announcement is also likely to boost Vishwas&#39;political career, especially after he was relatively marginalised in the recently-concluded regional elections in India.

Indian television channel News18 reported that Vishwas urged the party to fight corruption, erase all differences within the party and galvanise the footsoldiers across the country.

Okhla MP rapped

Khan, the Okhla lawmaker, was suspended on Wednesday, and his seemingly inflammatory statement will be probed by the party committee.

Incidentally, Khan had resigned from the party&#39;s Political Affairs Committee (PAC).

Vishwas had also decried that people close to Kejriwal were deliberately trying to undermine his influence in the party.

The Okhla lawmaker had also accused Vishwas of plotting a coup to upstage Kejriwal as the party chief.

But Vishwas categorically denied harbouring any such intentions.&nbsp;He accused Khan of being a &quot;mask&quot; and acting at the behest of a &quot;coterie&quot; surrounding Kejriwal.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

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The Aam Aadmi Party also suspended a lawmaker for allegedly spreading canards in the party

The crisis in the political party that governs India's Delhi NCT may have been averted after one of their aggrieved senior party members was made in-charge of northern Rajasthan state on Wednesday. The mutiny within the party has also been put to rest after one of their local lawmakers who allegedly tried to spread canards has been suspended. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also set up a disciplinary committee to probe comments made by the suspended lawmaker. AAP shows confidence in Kumar Vishwas Earlier in the day, senior party member Kumar Vishwas had threatened to quit the party after Okhla lawmaker Amanatullah Khan had accused him of being an agent of Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Stung by the allegations and the recent poll drubbings the party received in Punjab and Delhi, Vishwas felt that the party needed to introspect instead of complaining of voting irregularities. AAP's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and other leaders have primarily blamed faulty voting machines for their recent reverses. They claim that the voting machines were rigged by Modi's BJP to their advantage in the recent elections. But Vishwas' comment about the need to introspect prompted the Okhla lawmaker to say he was a "BJP agent". But a three-hour emergency meeting with party head Kejriwal and other senior leaders has subdued the gremlins in Vishwas' head. The party leader had met Vishwas last night to dispel any grudges the latter had. The Aam Aadmi Party announced that Vishwas would be given more responsibilities. Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia told reporters: "He (Vishwas) will be Rajasthan’s party in-charge as the state goes to polls next year." The announcement is also likely to boost Vishwas'political career, especially after he was relatively marginalised in the recently-concluded regional elections in India. Indian television channel News18 reported that Vishwas urged the party to fight corruption, erase all differences within the party and galvanise the footsoldiers across the country. Okhla MP rapped Khan, the Okhla lawmaker, was suspended on Wednesday, and his seemingly inflammatory statement will be probed by the party committee. Incidentally, Khan had resigned from the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC). Vishwas had also decried that people close to Kejriwal were deliberately trying to undermine his influence in the party. The Okhla lawmaker had also accused Vishwas of plotting a coup to upstage Kejriwal as the party chief. But Vishwas categorically denied harbouring any such intentions. He accused Khan of being a "mask" and acting at the behest of a "coterie" surrounding Kejriwal. (WION with inputs from PTI)

AAP slays party gremlins: Kumar Vishwas made in-charge of Rajasthan

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Sunday&nbsp;sought to send a stern message to partymen after some of them criticised senior AAP leader Kumar Vishwas as he had pointed to reasons other than the leadership&#39;s claim of tampering of EVMs for the party&#39;s recent poll defeats. 
 
Party chief Kejriwal warned them against trying to create a rift between him and his &quot;younger brother&quot; Vishwas, after AAP&#39;s Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan alleged earlier today that Vishwas was trying to &quot;usurp&quot; the Aam Aadmi Party and that he harbours ambitions of leading the party. 
 
On Friday, contrary to the party line that EVM rigging was behind AAP&#39;s loss in the Punjab Assembly and MCD polls, Vishwas had pointed to reasons other than alleged tampering of electronic voting machines and said there is a communication gap between the top brass and volunteers. 
 
He said AAP was getting &quot;Congressised&quot; to an extent. 
 
Amanatullah Khan, a member of the party&#39;s Political Affairs Committee (PAC), its apex decision-making body, also claimed that poet-turned-politician Vishwas has been calling MLAs to his residence and coaxing them to rebel against Kejriwal or to join the BJP. 
 
&quot;Kumar Vishwas is trying to usurp the AAP and break the AAP. He is calling MLAs to his residence and saying that he should be made the party convener. Or else, they (MLAs) can join the BJP, which is ready to pay Rs 30 crore to each MLA. This is what (Swaraj India President and expelled AAP leader) Yogendra Yadav also wants. 
 
&quot;I think this is happening at the behest of the BJP. It has deployed four MLAs to take AAP legislators to Kumar Vishwas&#39; house. This has been confirmed by at least 10 party MLAs,&quot; Khan said in a message circulated to the media. 
&quot;Yesterday, a minister also convened a meeting of four MLAs,&quot; he added. 
 
When contacted Khan did not elaborate on the message and said he will &quot;spill the beans&quot; at an appropriate time. 
The message, however, did not go down well with Kejriwal who wrote on Twitter that&nbsp;some people were trying to create a rift between him and Vishwas. 
 
&quot;Kumar is my younger brother. Some people are trying to create a rift between us. Such people are enemies of the party. They should mend their ways. Nobody&nbsp;can separate us,&quot; the AAP chief wrote on Twitter.

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????? ???? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??? ????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ???,??? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ??? !?? ???? ????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?? ????
&mdash; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/858655214517141504">April 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Arvind Kejriwal warned partymen of trying to create a rift between him and 'younger brother' Kumar Vishwas

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Sunday sought to send a stern message to partymen after some of them criticised senior AAP leader Kumar Vishwas as he had pointed to reasons other than the leadership's claim of tampering of EVMs for the party's recent poll defeats. Party chief Kejriwal warned them against trying to create a rift between him and his "younger brother" Vishwas, after AAP's Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan alleged earlier today that Vishwas was trying to "usurp" the Aam Aadmi Party and that he harbours ambitions of leading the party. On Friday, contrary to the party line that EVM rigging was behind AAP's loss in the Punjab Assembly and MCD polls, Vishwas had pointed to reasons other than alleged tampering of electronic voting machines and said there is a communication gap between the top brass and volunteers. He said AAP was getting "Congressised" to an extent. Amanatullah Khan, a member of the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC), its apex decision-making body, also claimed that poet-turned-politician Vishwas has been calling MLAs to his residence and coaxing them to rebel against Kejriwal or to join the BJP. "Kumar Vishwas is trying to usurp the AAP and break the AAP. He is calling MLAs to his residence and saying that he should be made the party convener. Or else, they (MLAs) can join the BJP, which is ready to pay Rs 30 crore to each MLA. This is what (Swaraj India President and expelled AAP leader) Yogendra Yadav also wants. "I think this is happening at the behest of the BJP. It has deployed four MLAs to take AAP legislators to Kumar Vishwas' house. This has been confirmed by at least 10 party MLAs," Khan said in a message circulated to the media. "Yesterday, a minister also convened a meeting of four MLAs," he added. When contacted Khan did not elaborate on the message and said he will "spill the beans" at an appropriate time. The message, however, did not go down well with Kejriwal who wrote on Twitter that some people were trying to create a rift between him and Vishwas. "Kumar is my younger brother. Some people are trying to create a rift between us. Such people are enemies of the party. They should mend their ways. Nobody can separate us," the AAP chief wrote on Twitter. ????? ???? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??? ????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ???,??? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ??? !?? ???? ????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?? ???? — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 30, 2017 ×

Arvind Kejriwal refutes allegations of Kumar Vishwas instigating rebellion within AAP

The Congress, which finished a distant third in the MCD polls, has got around 11 per cent more votes than the 2015 Assembly election, while the AAP&#39;s vote share came down to half of its previous tally. 
 
The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), which bagged 181 of 270 wards in all three civic bodies today, has managed to increase its vote share by around 5 per cent. The party&#39;s vote share was 32.2 per cent in the 2015 Assembly election. 
 
In the Assembly polls, the vote share of the Congress was 9.7 per cent. It went up to 21.28 per cent in the MCD polls. 
 
The Aam Aadmi Party&#39;s vote share came down to around 26 per cent from 54.3 per cent in Assembly polls. 
 
The MCD poll results show that people have voted against the AAP government even as they have given their votes in favour of the BJP which has been ruling the civic bodies for the last 10 years. 
 
In the 2012 MCD polls, Delhiites had voted for the BJP at a time when the Congress was in power in the national capital. 
 
When the Delhi Assembly polls were held in 2013, people had voted against the Sheila Dikshit government with the BJP emerging as the largest party while the AAP was runner-up. 
 
In 2013 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 32 seats while the AAP had got 28 seats even as the latter had formed its government with the help of the Congress. 
 
In the 2015 Assembly election, the AAP had emerged victorious with 67 seats out of 70, decimating both the BJP and the Congress.

AAP cries foul

Meanwhile, AAP again cried foul over EVM tampering and rejected the idea of a Modi wave. Asserting that the BJP is winning because of the &quot;rigged EVMs&quot;, Delhi transport minister Gopal Rai said that the saffron sweep&nbsp;in the civic polls is nothing less than a miracle which took place because the tampering of electoral machines.

AAP&#39;s Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal conceded defeat in the municipal elections but refrained from raising the EVM issue in his tweet.

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I congratulate BJP on their victory in all 3 MCDs. My govt looks forward to working wid MCDs for the betterment of Delhi
&mdash; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/857189693418389504">April 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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BJP chief Amit Shah thanked voters and said Modi&#39;s leadership has been accepted largely. &quot;Voters rejected politics of excuse,&quot; he said. 
 
The BJP president thanked the people of Delhi for the &quot;huge scale&quot; of BJP&#39;s victory. &quot;This has gone beyond our expectations,&quot; he said.

Amit Shah said the Delhi verdict, which comes close on the heels of the BJP&#39;s success in the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, has only taken forward the &quot;Modi and BJP juggernaut&quot;.

Votes for the elections are being counted at 35 centres across the city. Of these, 16 are in north Delhi, 13 in the south, and six in east Delhi.&nbsp;Voting for three new municipal corporations in Delhi took place on Sunday, in which 54 percent of the 1.32 crore electorates exercised their franchise.

As many as 90,000 security personnel of Delhi Police, paramilitary forces and Home Guards have been deployed at counting centres.

On polling day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had attacked the State Election Commission claiming that reports of &quot;faulty&quot; EVMs were pouring in from across the national capital.

The Aam Aadmi Party chief also alleged that many voters with valid voter slips were &quot;not allowed&quot; to exercise their franchise in the municipal polls. Arvind Kejriwal had earlier demanded that the election be postponed till arrangements for VVPAT-equipped EVM were made.

The state election commission denied the charges.

&quot;EVM has proved that its unhackable. It is a robust machine. Don&#39;t think there should be any question related to EVM,&quot; State Election commissioner S K Shrivastava said.

Polling did not take place in two wards, Maujpur in east Delhi and Sarai Pipal Thala in north Delhi where a candidate each of the Samajwadi Party died.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were the three main contenders in the fray.

After losing in this month&#39;s assembly by-polls and the February elections in Punjab and Goa, the municipal polls will be an acid test for Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government in Delhi.

Kejriwal&#39;s former party colleague Yogendra Yadav, who now leads the Swaraj India, wrote an open letter to the chief minister and challenged him to win at least 50 percent seats in the civic polls or step down.

Even as the Swaraj India and the Janata Dal (United) look to expand base beyond Bihar and Jharkhand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the AAP and the Congress have roped in top leaders and done whatever they could to woo the voters.

A total of 2,537 candidates were in the fray for the 104 seats each of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation and the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, and 64 seats of the East Delhi Municipal Congress.

For the first time in the MCD elections, the None Of The Above (NOTA) option has been made available.

The three civic bodies cover 68 of the 70 constituencies of the Delhi assembly. Two other smaller civic bodies are the Delhi Cantonment Board and the New Delhi Municipal Council.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Aam Aadmi Party, however, said 'tampered' voting machines was the key reason for their loss

The Congress, which finished a distant third in the MCD polls, has got around 11 per cent more votes than the 2015 Assembly election, while the AAP's vote share came down to half of its previous tally. The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), which bagged 181 of 270 wards in all three civic bodies today, has managed to increase its vote share by around 5 per cent. The party's vote share was 32.2 per cent in the 2015 Assembly election. In the Assembly polls, the vote share of the Congress was 9.7 per cent. It went up to 21.28 per cent in the MCD polls. The Aam Aadmi Party's vote share came down to around 26 per cent from 54.3 per cent in Assembly polls. The MCD poll results show that people have voted against the AAP government even as they have given their votes in favour of the BJP which has been ruling the civic bodies for the last 10 years. In the 2012 MCD polls, Delhiites had voted for the BJP at a time when the Congress was in power in the national capital. When the Delhi Assembly polls were held in 2013, people had voted against the Sheila Dikshit government with the BJP emerging as the largest party while the AAP was runner-up. In 2013 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 32 seats while the AAP had got 28 seats even as the latter had formed its government with the help of the Congress. In the 2015 Assembly election, the AAP had emerged victorious with 67 seats out of 70, decimating both the BJP and the Congress. AAP cries foul Meanwhile, AAP again cried foul over EVM tampering and rejected the idea of a Modi wave. Asserting that the BJP is winning because of the "rigged EVMs", Delhi transport minister Gopal Rai said that the saffron sweep in the civic polls is nothing less than a miracle which took place because the tampering of electoral machines. AAP's Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal conceded defeat in the municipal elections but refrained from raising the EVM issue in his tweet. I congratulate BJP on their victory in all 3 MCDs. My govt looks forward to working wid MCDs for the betterment of Delhi — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 26, 2017 × BJP chief Amit Shah thanked voters and said Modi's leadership has been accepted largely. "Voters rejected politics of excuse," he said. The BJP president thanked the people of Delhi for the "huge scale" of BJP's victory. "This has gone beyond our expectations," he said. Amit Shah said the Delhi verdict, which comes close on the heels of the BJP's success in the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, has only taken forward the "Modi and BJP juggernaut". Votes for the elections are being counted at 35 centres across the city. Of these, 16 are in north Delhi, 13 in the south, and six in east Delhi. Voting for three new municipal corporations in Delhi took place on Sunday, in which 54 percent of the 1.32 crore electorates exercised their franchise. As many as 90,000 security personnel of Delhi Police, paramilitary forces and Home Guards have been deployed at counting centres. On polling day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had attacked the State Election Commission claiming that reports of "faulty" EVMs were pouring in from across the national capital. The Aam Aadmi Party chief also alleged that many voters with valid voter slips were "not allowed" to exercise their franchise in the municipal polls. Arvind Kejriwal had earlier demanded that the election be postponed till arrangements for VVPAT-equipped EVM were made. The state election commission denied the charges. "EVM has proved that its unhackable. It is a robust machine. Don't think there should be any question related to EVM," State Election commissioner S K Shrivastava said. Polling did not take place in two wards, Maujpur in east Delhi and Sarai Pipal Thala in north Delhi where a candidate each of the Samajwadi Party died. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were the three main contenders in the fray. After losing in this month's assembly by-polls and the February elections in Punjab and Goa, the municipal polls will be an acid test for Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government in Delhi. Kejriwal's former party colleague Yogendra Yadav, who now leads the Swaraj India, wrote an open letter to the chief minister and challenged him to win at least 50 percent seats in the civic polls or step down. Even as the Swaraj India and the Janata Dal (United) look to expand base beyond Bihar and Jharkhand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the AAP and the Congress have roped in top leaders and done whatever they could to woo the voters. A total of 2,537 candidates were in the fray for the 104 seats each of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation and the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, and 64 seats of the East Delhi Municipal Congress. For the first time in the MCD elections, the None Of The Above (NOTA) option has been made available. The three civic bodies cover 68 of the 70 constituencies of the Delhi assembly. Two other smaller civic bodies are the Delhi Cantonment Board and the New Delhi Municipal Council. (WION with inputs from agencies)

BJP sweeps Delhi municipal elections

&nbsp;

In an electoral defeat, only half the battle is lost. The other half also goes when a vanquished political party refuses to acknowledge the reasons for the setback and takes refuge in excuses. In doing so, the party nips in the bud chances of an honest appraisal, subsequent corrective measures, and hopes of a comeback. One may wonder: Why would any political organisation want to willingly commit harakiri? It would, if its senior leadership has slipped into a delusional mode. Take the example of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which appears determined to self-destruct.

&nbsp;

This may sound like an exaggeration. The AAP is still dominant in the Delhi Assembly, having 66 out of 70 seats and is set to complete its five-year term unless there is a massive split in the party. It has a vast network of workers in the capital-state. It has spread its wings in neighbouring Punjab, has a semblance of an organisation in Goa, and is gearing up to fight the Gujarat Assembly election in the year-end. This should be quite a feat for a barely four-year-old party.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Ironically, the initial successes paved the way for the AAP&rsquo;s subsequent decline, as they made the party leadership over-confident, arrogant and oblivious to the people&rsquo;s changing mood. For all its grand talk of connecting with the masses, the AAP has never been more disconnected.

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<h5>For all its grand talk of connecting with the masses, the AAP has never been more disconnected.</h5>
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The Rajouri Garden by-election result in the party&rsquo;s stronghold of Delhi is a telling instance. Not only did the AAP lose a seat it had held but it also lost its deposit. The Congress, which had been decimated in the 2015 Assembly poll, pushed the ruling party to the third spot; the Bharatiya Janata Party, which had been routed, made a triumphant return by bagging the seat. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal&rsquo;s reaction demonstrated the party&rsquo;s unwillingness to see the writing on the wall. He claimed that the people had punished the AAP for having shifted its sitting legislator from Rajouri Garden to contest a seat in Punjab.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

One is not sure if the voters had perceived the shift as a crime which deserved punishment &mdash; but even if they did, was the crime of such a serious nature that the party should have lost its deposit? Kejriwal and his team know the answers lie elsewhere &mdash; they are not that dense &mdash; but they will not admit.

&nbsp;

It can be said that one swallow does not make a summer. But Rajouri Garden is not the only setback for the Aam Aadmi Party. It had made a big show of creating a splash in Goa when it decided to contest 39 of the 40 Assembly seats. Its candidates lost deposits in all but one constituency. Senior leaders from Kejriwal down had at various times camped and aggressively campaigned in Goa, hoping to cash in on a divided Congress and a BJP battling against a splinter group of the RSS and its partner, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The AAP may not have hoped to govern Goa, but it had expected better than losing security money all over the state. In Punjab, though, it was confident of forming the government. The situation seemed made-to-order for the AAP: the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP ruling coalition had fallen into disrepute and the Congress was a tried, tested and rejected option. Besides, all four Lok Sabha members the AAP had, were from Punjab, and they were expected to provide the necessary momentum. There was even talk of Kejriwal shifting to Punjab as the chief minister once his party won the election. But his party was humbled, securing just 20 seats, which were just a few more than the third-placed Akali Dal-BJP&rsquo;s tally.&nbsp;

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<h5>If the party does not fare well in the coming Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections, Kejriwal and his coterie will not have a fig leaf to hide behind.</h5>
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With three back-to-back defeats, the AAP is no longer on a sound footing. Rumblings have already begun within the party &mdash; a few of AAP&#39;s&nbsp;leaders have quit and joined its rivals and more could in the coming months &mdash; and the future is suddenly not so bright. If the party does not fare well in the coming Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections, Kejriwal and his coterie will not have a fig leaf to hide behind. The party may have survived the departure of Yogendra Yadav/ Prashant Bhushan-led group which essentially had no mass base, but it&rsquo;s unlikely to bounce back in time for the 2019 Lok Sabha election and the Delhi Assembly poll a year after that, in case it fails in its bid to gain dominance over the MCD.

&nbsp;

So, what went wrong for the AAP? Three primary reasons. The first is that the party has forgotten its core, which lies at its origin. It was born out of an anti-corruption/anti-criminalisation of politics movement. But as it settled down into its term after securing a hefty majority, many of its leaders came under the scanner for irregularities and criminal activities. Little action was taken against them. Worse, the government itself took questionable decisions, such as the appointment of parliamentary secretaries. When the likes of Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav protested against the party&rsquo;s and the government&rsquo;s dubious functioning, they were humiliated and shown the door. The people did not like the AAP&rsquo;s conduct.

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<h5>The voters realised that here was a chief minister and his party which, instead of working alongside the Centre on at least issues that concerned Delhi&rsquo;s betterment, were more intent in burnishing their own combative image.</h5>
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The second reason has been an overdose of negative politics the AAP has indulged in. From calling the prime minister a &ldquo;psychopath&rdquo; to making allegedly defamatory statements against senior union ministers, such as Arun Jaitley, Chief Minister Kejriwal set the tone for the kind of politics he believes in. As far as the AAP is concerned, everything negative &mdash; from local to international &mdash; is the prime minister&rsquo;s doing. The voters were not amused.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The voters realised that here was a chief minister and his party which, instead of working alongside the Centre on at least issues that concerned Delhi&rsquo;s betterment, were more intent in burnishing their own combative image. The aggression became all the more distasteful given that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have been gaining ground across the country since 2014. Kejriwal&rsquo;s insulting barbs against the Congress&rsquo;s Captain Amarinder Singh in Punjab also ruffled voters&rsquo; feathers in that State and gave the latter a great deal of traction.

&nbsp;

The third is over-confidence, which is a direct offshoot of arrogance. The Delhi victory spurred the AAP into expanding its base without, one, building on the basics; and two, without setting an example of good governance in its flagship state, that is Delhi. Well-wishers of AAP had cautioned the leadership against stretching too far and too fast, but Kejriwal and team, intoxicated by the Delhi success and seduced by dreams of national (even international) prominence, refused to listen. At the end of the day, they are back to square one: Delhi!&nbsp;

&nbsp;

All is not lost for the party yet. The AAP needs to recalibrate its strategy, own up mistakes, and let go of its misplaced vigour for venomous talk. If it wants to be taken seriously, it must focus on good governance in the state it rules, and it should try to conduct itself with dignity.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Kejriwal&rsquo;s mentor Anna Hazare has already lost hopes in his student. We&rsquo;ll know soon if the people of Delhi have too.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are that of the author and not of WION)

&nbsp; &nbsp;

Irregularities, combative image and arrogance are the three factors responsible for AAP's recent election debacles

In an electoral defeat, only half the battle is lost. The other half also goes when a vanquished political party refuses to acknowledge the reasons for the setback and takes refuge in excuses. In doing so, the party nips in the bud chances of an honest appraisal, subsequent corrective measures, and hopes of a comeback. One may wonder: Why would any political organisation want to willingly commit harakiri? It would, if its senior leadership has slipped into a delusional mode. Take the example of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which appears determined to self-destruct. This may sound like an exaggeration. The AAP is still dominant in the Delhi Assembly, having 66 out of 70 seats and is set to complete its five-year term unless there is a massive split in the party. It has a vast network of workers in the capital-state. It has spread its wings in neighbouring Punjab, has a semblance of an organisation in Goa, and is gearing up to fight the Gujarat Assembly election in the year-end. This should be quite a feat for a barely four-year-old party. Ironically, the initial successes paved the way for the AAP’s subsequent decline, as they made the party leadership over-confident, arrogant and oblivious to the people’s changing mood. For all its grand talk of connecting with the masses, the AAP has never been more disconnected. For all its grand talk of connecting with the masses, the AAP has never been more disconnected. × The Rajouri Garden by-election result in the party’s stronghold of Delhi is a telling instance. Not only did the AAP lose a seat it had held but it also lost its deposit. The Congress, which had been decimated in the 2015 Assembly poll, pushed the ruling party to the third spot; the Bharatiya Janata Party, which had been routed, made a triumphant return by bagging the seat. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s reaction demonstrated the party’s unwillingness to see the writing on the wall. He claimed that the people had punished the AAP for having shifted its sitting legislator from Rajouri Garden to contest a seat in Punjab. One is not sure if the voters had perceived the shift as a crime which deserved punishment — but even if they did, was the crime of such a serious nature that the party should have lost its deposit? Kejriwal and his team know the answers lie elsewhere — they are not that dense — but they will not admit. It can be said that one swallow does not make a summer. But Rajouri Garden is not the only setback for the Aam Aadmi Party. It had made a big show of creating a splash in Goa when it decided to contest 39 of the 40 Assembly seats. Its candidates lost deposits in all but one constituency. Senior leaders from Kejriwal down had at various times camped and aggressively campaigned in Goa, hoping to cash in on a divided Congress and a BJP battling against a splinter group of the RSS and its partner, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party. The AAP may not have hoped to govern Goa, but it had expected better than losing security money all over the state. In Punjab, though, it was confident of forming the government. The situation seemed made-to-order for the AAP: the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP ruling coalition had fallen into disrepute and the Congress was a tried, tested and rejected option. Besides, all four Lok Sabha members the AAP had, were from Punjab, and they were expected to provide the necessary momentum. There was even talk of Kejriwal shifting to Punjab as the chief minister once his party won the election. But his party was humbled, securing just 20 seats, which were just a few more than the third-placed Akali Dal-BJP’s tally. If the party does not fare well in the coming Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections, Kejriwal and his coterie will not have a fig leaf to hide behind. × With three back-to-back defeats, the AAP is no longer on a sound footing. Rumblings have already begun within the party — a few of AAP's leaders have quit and joined its rivals and more could in the coming months — and the future is suddenly not so bright. If the party does not fare well in the coming Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections, Kejriwal and his coterie will not have a fig leaf to hide behind. The party may have survived the departure of Yogendra Yadav/ Prashant Bhushan-led group which essentially had no mass base, but it’s unlikely to bounce back in time for the 2019 Lok Sabha election and the Delhi Assembly poll a year after that, in case it fails in its bid to gain dominance over the MCD. So, what went wrong for the AAP? Three primary reasons. The first is that the party has forgotten its core, which lies at its origin. It was born out of an anti-corruption/anti-criminalisation of politics movement. But as it settled down into its term after securing a hefty majority, many of its leaders came under the scanner for irregularities and criminal activities. Little action was taken against them. Worse, the government itself took questionable decisions, such as the appointment of parliamentary secretaries. When the likes of Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav protested against the party’s and the government’s dubious functioning, they were humiliated and shown the door. The people did not like the AAP’s conduct. The voters realised that here was a chief minister and his party which, instead of working alongside the Centre on at least issues that concerned Delhi’s betterment, were more intent in burnishing their own combative image. × The second reason has been an overdose of negative politics the AAP has indulged in. From calling the prime minister a “psychopath” to making allegedly defamatory statements against senior union ministers, such as Arun Jaitley, Chief Minister Kejriwal set the tone for the kind of politics he believes in. As far as the AAP is concerned, everything negative — from local to international — is the prime minister’s doing. The voters were not amused. The voters realised that here was a chief minister and his party which, instead of working alongside the Centre on at least issues that concerned Delhi’s betterment, were more intent in burnishing their own combative image. The aggression became all the more distasteful given that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have been gaining ground across the country since 2014. Kejriwal’s insulting barbs against the Congress’s Captain Amarinder Singh in Punjab also ruffled voters’ feathers in that State and gave the latter a great deal of traction. The third is over-confidence, which is a direct offshoot of arrogance. The Delhi victory spurred the AAP into expanding its base without, one, building on the basics; and two, without setting an example of good governance in its flagship state, that is Delhi. Well-wishers of AAP had cautioned the leadership against stretching too far and too fast, but Kejriwal and team, intoxicated by the Delhi success and seduced by dreams of national (even international) prominence, refused to listen. At the end of the day, they are back to square one: Delhi! All is not lost for the party yet. The AAP needs to recalibrate its strategy, own up mistakes, and let go of its misplaced vigour for venomous talk. If it wants to be taken seriously, it must focus on good governance in the state it rules, and it should try to conduct itself with dignity. Kejriwal’s mentor Anna Hazare has already lost hopes in his student. We’ll know soon if the people of Delhi have too. (Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are that of the author and not of WION)

Negative politics cripples Aam Aadmi Party's electoral prospects

There is no short cut to success and neither it can be consolidated by mere sloganeering. The byelections in Delhi are a warning sign to any political party which thrives on social media messaging and constant media turmoil. To sum it up, this is the worst moment for the sunshine party of Indian politics. Not only has AAP lost the elections but came a distant third and worse - it lost its deposit.&nbsp;

Not only has BJP&rsquo;s vote share surged over 50 per cent but even poll-battered Congress emerged stronger despite losing the seat to BJP in the Delhi byelections as its vote share surged to over 30 per cent - a huge boost in the reign of Modi.&nbsp;

What makes matters worse for AAP is that it has happened in the wake of Punjab and Goa assembly polls where AAP wanted to make a national debut but came up short there too. Today its own bastion is crumbling amid a lack of trust among voters in the national capital who expected the world from the rebel-turned-politician who during Anna&#39;s anti-corruption campaign in 2011 promised the Delhi electorate a new era of &#39;trust and responsibility&#39;. The message in the Delhi byelections is clear - it wasn&#39;t bad election management but trust which has collapsed. The signs are ominous with BJP snapping at its heel&nbsp;emboldened by victories nationwide.&nbsp;

Fundamentally, AAP believed that Congress is finished as a force in Delhi making it overconfident. This, coupled with constant bickering with the Centre on every little issue clearly put off Delhiites who prefer a man who can get the job done and does not blame everyone else when the going gets tough. The &#39;victim&#39; feeling of AAP being persecuted by the big brother at the Centre did not fool anyone. Though AAP can certainly claim to be arm twisted by the Centre on some issues but most of the skirmishes could have been avoided if chief minister Kejriwal had deferred his grand national ambition to a later date.

Fact that AAP committed itself to focus only on Delhi after its historic second win, there remained a lingering feeling that more could be done for the party despite a washout in the national elections. It rested on the belief that Rahul Gandhi and his beleaguered party is finished nationally and AAP can either be a natural successor or at least be part of big game politics where regional parties can stitch together a coalition to halt the BJP juggernaut.

The attempt to expand the party at the cost of fortifying their bastion lost them the game. Delhiites felt &nbsp;AAP was more interested in &#39;other&#39; national issues. Even before demonetization, AAP&rsquo;s odd-even campaign received full public support and cooperation because people felt that it is genuinely interested in issues close to Delhi&rsquo;s heart. It is the principal reason why not only did AAP come third in this election but lost its hard-earned deposit. AAP&rsquo;s vote is primarily the &#39;original&#39; Congress vote which is poised to being bifurcated for good now and this trend will become clear in this MCD poll.

But AAP&rsquo;s problem doesn&rsquo;t end with the MCD results. The Election Commission will soon pronounce its verdict on the issue of office-of-profit on 21 MLAs. In case, lawmakers are disqualified then 21 seats will hit the polls making it a referendum on AAP.&nbsp;

It might not immediately destabilise the government but it would make it &#39;ungovernable&#39; for Kejriwal. The Delhi byelection result is a lesson for everyone. BJP&rsquo;s vote share crossed 50 per cent which shows that comeback is possible provided&nbsp;the campaign is consistent and the message is clear.&nbsp;

In the case of AAP, &nbsp;the message got blurred. When it came to power, AAP stood for accountability and transparency in public life. Today, people see it as a bunch of individuals who want to climb the political ladder quickly at the expense of Delhi and add to this corruption cases has marred the credibility of AAP as a &#39;corruption-free&#39; and stable party. The AAP tenure has now known more for less work and more for corruption and impropriety in public - a far cry&nbsp;from its promise of a new dawn in Indian politics less than two years ago.

This problem is further compounded by intense internal fission which ended with the firing of senior leaders from the party. &nbsp;AAP looked like a school of squabbling leaders speaking in different voices. It reached a crescendo during Punjab elections where the party couldn&rsquo;t come to a conclusion over its chief ministerial candidate.&nbsp;

Despite the clarification from AAP that Kejriwal remains committed to Delhi, a nagging feeling existed in both Delhi and Punjab that Kejriwal wanted to leave Delhi for a &#39;bigger&#39; state.&nbsp;

The refusal to believe was the beginning of the end of AAP as the electorate in both states questioned its integrity and voted it out.

AAP still can turn things around provided it gives a&nbsp;silent and stable government. A government which works quietly and whose work can be seen by all and sundry. Euphoria in politics doesn&rsquo;t last forever. Hope and expectation need to be tempered with trust and good work. In this election, AAP has lost trust more than the election and if it wants to remain relevant in Delhi, it would need to regain the trust of the people. It would require them to spend time in office and not in front of its adversary&rsquo;s office.

Former chief minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit reshaped the map of the city within the same rules which now applies to Kejriwal. There is nothing wrong with the desire to become a national entity. TMC, NCP and many other parties have done the same but they could not buck the national trend and failed to evolve as a national party as their voter base remained mainly regional.&nbsp;

AAP, on the other hand, is not tied to the caste matrix at a regional level. The appeal of AAP lies in hope and promise. The promise was clean politics, silent governance and complete accountability which was forgotten within a short span of time. &nbsp;

However, as they say, a week is a long time in politics, AAP can still make a comeback provided it maintains its commitment towards the electorate which catapulted the party into the national limelight. All it needs to do now is to silently govern in Delhi and quietly expand outside. But for that to happen Kejriwal will have to resign as the Chief Minister and commit himself to the organization for the twin goals to be achieved.&nbsp;

It cannot be done in its current avatar. And for that to happen, the public campaigner will have to once again relinquish the public office and go back to the people.

(WION)

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<div class="media-description">
The rise and fall of a party that was heralded in the Indian political scene with much fanfare-- the Aam Aadmi party in 2013, the party fighting the elections for the first time in the state of Delhi and won an impressive 28 of the 70 seats (WION)
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&nbsp;

When it came to power, AAP stood for accountability and transparency in public life which now stands tarnished

There is no short cut to success and neither it can be consolidated by mere sloganeering. The byelections in Delhi are a warning sign to any political party which thrives on social media messaging and constant media turmoil. To sum it up, this is the worst moment for the sunshine party of Indian politics. Not only has AAP lost the elections but came a distant third and worse - it lost its deposit. Not only has BJP’s vote share surged over 50 per cent but even poll-battered Congress emerged stronger despite losing the seat to BJP in the Delhi byelections as its vote share surged to over 30 per cent - a huge boost in the reign of Modi. What makes matters worse for AAP is that it has happened in the wake of Punjab and Goa assembly polls where AAP wanted to make a national debut but came up short there too. Today its own bastion is crumbling amid a lack of trust among voters in the national capital who expected the world from the rebel-turned-politician who during Anna's anti-corruption campaign in 2011 promised the Delhi electorate a new era of 'trust and responsibility'. The message in the Delhi byelections is clear - it wasn't bad election management but trust which has collapsed. The signs are ominous with BJP snapping at its heel emboldened by victories nationwide. Fundamentally, AAP believed that Congress is finished as a force in Delhi making it overconfident. This, coupled with constant bickering with the Centre on every little issue clearly put off Delhiites who prefer a man who can get the job done and does not blame everyone else when the going gets tough. The 'victim' feeling of AAP being persecuted by the big brother at the Centre did not fool anyone. Though AAP can certainly claim to be arm twisted by the Centre on some issues but most of the skirmishes could have been avoided if chief minister Kejriwal had deferred his grand national ambition to a later date. Fact that AAP committed itself to focus only on Delhi after its historic second win, there remained a lingering feeling that more could be done for the party despite a washout in the national elections. It rested on the belief that Rahul Gandhi and his beleaguered party is finished nationally and AAP can either be a natural successor or at least be part of big game politics where regional parties can stitch together a coalition to halt the BJP juggernaut. The attempt to expand the party at the cost of fortifying their bastion lost them the game. Delhiites felt AAP was more interested in 'other' national issues. Even before demonetization, AAP’s odd-even campaign received full public support and cooperation because people felt that it is genuinely interested in issues close to Delhi’s heart. It is the principal reason why not only did AAP come third in this election but lost its hard-earned deposit. AAP’s vote is primarily the 'original' Congress vote which is poised to being bifurcated for good now and this trend will become clear in this MCD poll. But AAP’s problem doesn’t end with the MCD results. The Election Commission will soon pronounce its verdict on the issue of office-of-profit on 21 MLAs. In case, lawmakers are disqualified then 21 seats will hit the polls making it a referendum on AAP. It might not immediately destabilise the government but it would make it 'ungovernable' for Kejriwal. The Delhi byelection result is a lesson for everyone. BJP’s vote share crossed 50 per cent which shows that comeback is possible provided the campaign is consistent and the message is clear. In the case of AAP, the message got blurred. When it came to power, AAP stood for accountability and transparency in public life. Today, people see it as a bunch of individuals who want to climb the political ladder quickly at the expense of Delhi and add to this corruption cases has marred the credibility of AAP as a 'corruption-free' and stable party. The AAP tenure has now known more for less work and more for corruption and impropriety in public - a far cry from its promise of a new dawn in Indian politics less than two years ago. This problem is further compounded by intense internal fission which ended with the firing of senior leaders from the party. AAP looked like a school of squabbling leaders speaking in different voices. It reached a crescendo during Punjab elections where the party couldn’t come to a conclusion over its chief ministerial candidate. Despite the clarification from AAP that Kejriwal remains committed to Delhi, a nagging feeling existed in both Delhi and Punjab that Kejriwal wanted to leave Delhi for a 'bigger' state. The refusal to believe was the beginning of the end of AAP as the electorate in both states questioned its integrity and voted it out. AAP still can turn things around provided it gives a silent and stable government. A government which works quietly and whose work can be seen by all and sundry. Euphoria in politics doesn’t last forever. Hope and expectation need to be tempered with trust and good work. In this election, AAP has lost trust more than the election and if it wants to remain relevant in Delhi, it would need to regain the trust of the people. It would require them to spend time in office and not in front of its adversary’s office. Former chief minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit reshaped the map of the city within the same rules which now applies to Kejriwal. There is nothing wrong with the desire to become a national entity. TMC, NCP and many other parties have done the same but they could not buck the national trend and failed to evolve as a national party as their voter base remained mainly regional. AAP, on the other hand, is not tied to the caste matrix at a regional level. The appeal of AAP lies in hope and promise. The promise was clean politics, silent governance and complete accountability which was forgotten within a short span of time. However, as they say, a week is a long time in politics, AAP can still make a comeback provided it maintains its commitment towards the electorate which catapulted the party into the national limelight. All it needs to do now is to silently govern in Delhi and quietly expand outside. But for that to happen Kejriwal will have to resign as the Chief Minister and commit himself to the organization for the twin goals to be achieved. It cannot be done in its current avatar. And for that to happen, the public campaigner will have to once again relinquish the public office and go back to the people. (WION) The rise and fall of a party that was heralded in the Indian political scene with much fanfare-- the Aam Aadmi party in 2013, the party fighting the elections for the first time in the state of Delhi and won an impressive 28 of the 70 seats (WION) ×

Delhi Byelection verdict: Aam Admi naaraz with AAP government

Ahead of the MCD polls, the BJP Saturday&nbsp;alleged the AAP government had squandered public funds on lunches at chief minister Arvind Kejriwal&#39;s residence last year that cost a whopping Rs 13,000 per person, a charge denied by the ruling party. 
 
Demanding the government&#39;s resignation, leader of opposition in the Delhi assembly, Vijender Gupta, alleged that the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC) had organised two lunch parties last year on February 11 and 12 for 50 and 30 persons respectively which cost over Rs 11 lakh. 
 
Federal minister and senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal termed the alleged expenditure &quot;mind boggling&quot;. 
 
&quot;The government is a custodian of public funds entrusted to it by taxpayers in the form of exchequer. But Kejriwal and his party have been misusing these funds for the last two years for its political needs and purposes,&quot; Goyal said. 
 
Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia denied the allegations saying he had never cleared the file for the expense which was sent to him. 
 
&quot;The so-called food bill of Rs 13,000 was sent to me by officers for clearance a year back, but I never approved them. The files have been with the then LG Najeeb Jung&#39;s office for the past six months. It seems the LG&#39;s office has leaked it now under pressure from the BJP,&quot; he alleged. 
 
He said that the files were being leaked selectively to defame the AAP government ahead of the upcoming MCD polls. 
&quot;I dare them to release the file in which I have clearly made a note refusing to clear payment,&quot; he added. 
 
Leader of opposition in the Delhi assembly, Vijender Gupta, alleged that the catering arrangements for the lunches at Kejriwal&#39;s residence were made by a leading five-star hotel. 
 
The permissible limit under financial rules is Rs 1,250 per person for hosting a lunch in non-five star hotels, he said.

&quot;No codal formalities or financial rules were followed before placing the orders. Two bills were raised by DTTDC for a total amount of Rs 11,04,357,&quot; Gupta said, showing the copies of the bills in a press conference. 
 
He further said that bill for the lunch on February 11 was Rs 6,23,605 and the cost per plate was Rs 12,472 and price of same plate rose to Rs 16,025 for the lunch organised very next day.

It is beyond understanding why the expenditure per plate rose by Rs 3,553 more than 28.50 per centre overnight, Gupta said. 
 
&quot;This is a criminal waste of government exchequer by the Kejriwal government. I urge the Lt Governor to order a high-level enquiry into violation of financial rules by the Kejriwal government,&quot; Gupta said. 
 
(PTI)

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP has denied the charges

Ahead of the MCD polls, the BJP Saturday alleged the AAP government had squandered public funds on lunches at chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence last year that cost a whopping Rs 13,000 per person, a charge denied by the ruling party. Demanding the government's resignation, leader of opposition in the Delhi assembly, Vijender Gupta, alleged that the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC) had organised two lunch parties last year on February 11 and 12 for 50 and 30 persons respectively which cost over Rs 11 lakh. Federal minister and senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal termed the alleged expenditure "mind boggling". "The government is a custodian of public funds entrusted to it by taxpayers in the form of exchequer. But Kejriwal and his party have been misusing these funds for the last two years for its political needs and purposes," Goyal said. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia denied the allegations saying he had never cleared the file for the expense which was sent to him. "The so-called food bill of Rs 13,000 was sent to me by officers for clearance a year back, but I never approved them. The files have been with the then LG Najeeb Jung's office for the past six months. It seems the LG's office has leaked it now under pressure from the BJP," he alleged. He said that the files were being leaked selectively to defame the AAP government ahead of the upcoming MCD polls. "I dare them to release the file in which I have clearly made a note refusing to clear payment," he added. Leader of opposition in the Delhi assembly, Vijender Gupta, alleged that the catering arrangements for the lunches at Kejriwal's residence were made by a leading five-star hotel. The permissible limit under financial rules is Rs 1,250 per person for hosting a lunch in non-five star hotels, he said. "No codal formalities or financial rules were followed before placing the orders. Two bills were raised by DTTDC for a total amount of Rs 11,04,357," Gupta said, showing the copies of the bills in a press conference. He further said that bill for the lunch on February 11 was Rs 6,23,605 and the cost per plate was Rs 12,472 and price of same plate rose to Rs 16,025 for the lunch organised very next day. It is beyond understanding why the expenditure per plate rose by Rs 3,553 more than 28.50 per centre overnight, Gupta said. "This is a criminal waste of government exchequer by the Kejriwal government. I urge the Lt Governor to order a high-level enquiry into violation of financial rules by the Kejriwal government," Gupta said. (PTI)

BJP now accuses AAP of spending Rs 13,000 per person at Kejriwal lunch

In what may land Aam Admi Party (AAP) in the soup, Shunglu Committee, formed by former Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung, has highlighted the `gross abuse of power` by the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in the appointment process.

The three-member committee, in over 100-page report, questioned the appointment of Health Minister Satyendra Jain`s daughter Soumya Jain as an adviser to Mission Director, Delhi State Health Mission.

Soumya is an architect by profession and her expertise in Mohalla clinics was touted.

The file contained no evidence of who approved her appointment.

The AAP government paid her a salary of Rs 1.15 lakh from the period April 18 to July 14, 2016, when Soumya resigned from the post.

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The appointment of Nikunj Agarwal, a relative of Kejriwal, as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the health minister has also been questioned by the committee.

The committee has raised objection on the appointment of several personal staff of ministers including Roshan Shankar as advisor to the minister of tourism, appointment of Abhinav Rai to the minister of transport, appointment of Rahul Bhasin in CM office, appointment of Gopal Mohan, a close associate of Arvind Kejriwal.

Shunglu Committee has also raised questions on the appointment made under co-terminus basis, appointments of consultants and contractual appointments without following procedures.

The appointment of Parija P as a full-term member of administration in Delhi`s municipal taxation tribunal was also pointed out by the committee.

It must be noted that Parija had no administrative experience and was unqualified for the post which required at least a secretary-level officer of Delhi to fill it.&nbsp;

(ANI)&nbsp;

It questioned the appointment of the health minister's architect daughter as adviser to the Mission Director, Delhi State Health Mission

In what may land Aam Admi Party (AAP) in the soup, Shunglu Committee, formed by former Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung, has highlighted the `gross abuse of power` by the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in the appointment process. The three-member committee, in over 100-page report, questioned the appointment of Health Minister Satyendra Jain`s daughter Soumya Jain as an adviser to Mission Director, Delhi State Health Mission. Soumya is an architect by profession and her expertise in Mohalla clinics was touted. The file contained no evidence of who approved her appointment. The AAP government paid her a salary of Rs 1.15 lakh from the period April 18 to July 14, 2016, when Soumya resigned from the post. The appointment of Nikunj Agarwal, a relative of Kejriwal's, as the officer on special duty (OSD) to the health minister was questioned by the committee × The appointment of Nikunj Agarwal, a relative of Kejriwal, as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the health minister has also been questioned by the committee. The committee has raised objection on the appointment of several personal staff of ministers including Roshan Shankar as advisor to the minister of tourism, appointment of Abhinav Rai to the minister of transport, appointment of Rahul Bhasin in CM office, appointment of Gopal Mohan, a close associate of Arvind Kejriwal. Shunglu Committee has also raised questions on the appointment made under co-terminus basis, appointments of consultants and contractual appointments without following procedures. The appointment of Parija P as a full-term member of administration in Delhi`s municipal taxation tribunal was also pointed out by the committee. It must be noted that Parija had no administrative experience and was unqualified for the post which required at least a secretary-level officer of Delhi to fill it. (ANI)

Shunglu Committee accuses Kejriwal's AAP govt of 'gross abuse of power'

&quot;Should I pay from my pocket?&quot; Arvind Kejriwal today asked, breaking his silence on the controversy over his move to pay lawyer Ram Jethmalani from the public exchequer for defending him in a defamation case.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who had directed the General Administration Department to clear the bills due to Jethmalani, said the issue has been raked up to divert the attention from the EVM controversy.

Jethmalani has not been paid yet and the matter is pending with Lt Governor Anil Baijal.

The bills totalled around Rs 3.4 crore.

Kejriwal made the remarks addressing a rally in north-east Delhi&#39;s Seemapuri constituency. He said the controversy was created to &quot;weaken&quot; the AAP government&#39;s fight against corruption.

&quot;Who plays cricket here?&quot; he asked pointing towards the crowd. &quot;In Delhi there was massive corruption in cricket. You must have heard of DDCA. It was heavily corrupt. Youngsters used to come to me and complain that money is sought for selection.&quot;

&quot;I initiated a probe into it. Then the BJP filed a case against me. We hired top lawyer Ram Jethmalani. They ask why should the government pay? Should I pay from my pocket? They want to weaken our fight against corruption,&quot; Kejriwal said.

Meanwhile, Sisodia, speaking to reporters outside his residence, said the defamation case against Kejriwal was filed as he had launched a probe into &quot;corruption&quot; prevalent in the Delhi and District Cricket Administration (DDCA).

&quot;When they challenged something which was being probed by the government then the lawyers bill has to be paid by the government. It was not Arvind Kejriwal&#39;s personal case.

Sisodia also raised question over the timing of the issue being raked up.

&quot;The case has been on for the last one and a half years. But why is it being talked about now? Because they have found themselves in a spot over the EVM controversy,&quot; he said.

(PTI)

Kejriwal's legal bills, against a defamation case filed by Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley, add up to Rs 3.4 crore

"Should I pay from my pocket?" Arvind Kejriwal today asked, breaking his silence on the controversy over his move to pay lawyer Ram Jethmalani from the public exchequer for defending him in a defamation case. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who had directed the General Administration Department to clear the bills due to Jethmalani, said the issue has been raked up to divert the attention from the EVM controversy. Jethmalani has not been paid yet and the matter is pending with Lt Governor Anil Baijal. The bills totalled around Rs 3.4 crore. Kejriwal made the remarks addressing a rally in north-east Delhi's Seemapuri constituency. He said the controversy was created to "weaken" the AAP government's fight against corruption. "Who plays cricket here?" he asked pointing towards the crowd. "In Delhi there was massive corruption in cricket. You must have heard of DDCA. It was heavily corrupt. Youngsters used to come to me and complain that money is sought for selection." "I initiated a probe into it. Then the BJP filed a case against me. We hired top lawyer Ram Jethmalani. They ask why should the government pay? Should I pay from my pocket? They want to weaken our fight against corruption," Kejriwal said. Meanwhile, Sisodia, speaking to reporters outside his residence, said the defamation case against Kejriwal was filed as he had launched a probe into "corruption" prevalent in the Delhi and District Cricket Administration (DDCA). "When they challenged something which was being probed by the government then the lawyers bill has to be paid by the government. It was not Arvind Kejriwal's personal case. Sisodia also raised question over the timing of the issue being raked up. "The case has been on for the last one and a half years. But why is it being talked about now? Because they have found themselves in a spot over the EVM controversy," he said. (PTI)

Delhi chief minister Kejriwal on paying Jethmalani bill: 'Should I pay from my pocket?'

Veteran lawyer Ram Jethmalani, who is Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal&#39;s counsel in the defamation case filed against him by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, on Tuesday said that he would work for free if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo cannot pay him his fees.

&quot;Even now if the government doesn&#39;t pay or he can&#39;t pay, I will appear free. I will then treat him as one of my poor clients,&quot; Jethmalani told ANI in an exclusive conversation.

Venting his ire over reports suggesting that Delhi&#39;s Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has sought Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar&#39;s advice in clearing the bills, the veteran lawyer said they are all in Jaitley&#39;s control.

Jethmalani further said that he charges only the rich clients.

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&quot;Everybody knows this in this country that I charge only the rich, but for poor people I do work free and the poor people are about 90 per cent of my client,&quot; he said.

Jethmalani, who is defending Kejriwal in both a criminal and a civil defamation case filed by Jaitley, has reportedly sent bills for Rs one crore in retainership and Rs. 22 lakh for each appearance in court to the Delhi Chief Minister.

Jethmalani has made 11 appearances so far, leading to a total of Rs 3.42 crore.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has signed off on the bills and sent them for clearance to the Lieutenant Governor, who had sought the opinion of experts on how to proceed.

Baijal&#39;s move comes after the Delhi Government&#39;s Law Department, responding to a note by Sisodia, said that Lieutenant Governor&#39;s permission for clearing the bills was necessary.

(ANI)

Jethmalani is representing the Delhi chief minister in the defamation case filed against him by finance minister Arun Jaitely

Veteran lawyer Ram Jethmalani, who is Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's counsel in the defamation case filed against him by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, on Tuesday said that he would work for free if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo cannot pay him his fees. "Even now if the government doesn't pay or he can't pay, I will appear free. I will then treat him as one of my poor clients," Jethmalani told ANI in an exclusive conversation. Venting his ire over reports suggesting that Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has sought Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar's advice in clearing the bills, the veteran lawyer said they are all in Jaitley's control. Jethmalani further said that he charges only the rich clients. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has signed off on the bills and sent them for clearance to the Lieutenant Governor, who had sought the opinion of experts on how to proceed × "Everybody knows this in this country that I charge only the rich, but for poor people I do work free and the poor people are about 90 per cent of my client," he said. Jethmalani, who is defending Kejriwal in both a criminal and a civil defamation case filed by Jaitley, has reportedly sent bills for Rs one crore in retainership and Rs. 22 lakh for each appearance in court to the Delhi Chief Minister. Jethmalani has made 11 appearances so far, leading to a total of Rs 3.42 crore. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has signed off on the bills and sent them for clearance to the Lieutenant Governor, who had sought the opinion of experts on how to proceed. Baijal's move comes after the Delhi Government's Law Department, responding to a note by Sisodia, said that Lieutenant Governor's permission for clearing the bills was necessary. (ANI)

Jethmalani says will work for free if Kejriwal cannot pay legal fees

The municipal election in Delhi should be &quot;postponed&quot; so that it can be held using ballot papers, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday&nbsp;said, three weeks before the polls.

Kejriwal had made the demand right after the Punjab state polls results were announced, questioning the reliability of electronic voting machines (EVMs). But it was rejected by Lt Governor Anil Baijal who cited &quot;time constraints&quot; to effect any change in mode of polling.

On the Election Commission asking the AAP to &quot;introspect&quot; on the reasons behind its performance in Punjab, Kejriwal&#39;s caustic response was that he was considering including the EC in his party&#39;s decision-making body, the Political Affairs Committee (PAC).

Addressing a press conference at his residence, Kejriwal alleged &quot;widepsread tampering&quot; of EVMs and claimed VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) machines from Uttar Pradesh were being brought to conduct the Rajouri Garden bypoll.

&quot;MCD polls should be held using paper ballots. It should be postponed if time is required to do that,&quot; he told reporters.

The State Election Commission has already declared that the municipal polls will be held on April 23.

&quot;This goes against the norm that EVMs used in one election cannot be used in another for at least 45 days,&quot; the Delhi chief minister&nbsp;said.

He has also written to the EC claiming that &quot;our experts&quot; will prove that the voting machines can be tampered with. &quot;I challenge the ECI to give us 72 hours to prove it&quot;.

The AAP chief said in light of reports that even VVPAT machines were not reliable, ballot papers were the &quot;only safe option&quot;, which, he said, has been adopted by many western countries.

&quot;The microchips inside the EVMs can be fiddled with. Sophisticated software is being used to do that. But not all machines are tampered, the critical ones are,&quot; Kejriwal claimed without elaborating further.

He also questioned the EC for using EVMs used in Uttar Pradesh&#39;s Govind Nagar for conducting bypolls in Madhya Pradesh&#39;s Bhind.

At Bhind, VVPAT-enabled EVMs were found printing the BJP&#39;s poll symbol irrespective of the button pressed during a mock trial, which the opposition parties had latched on to.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

 
&nbsp;

Kejriwal wants the civic polls in Delhi to be postponed so that they can be held using ballot papers

The municipal election in Delhi should be "postponed" so that it can be held using ballot papers, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday said, three weeks before the polls. Kejriwal had made the demand right after the Punjab state polls results were announced, questioning the reliability of electronic voting machines (EVMs). But it was rejected by Lt Governor Anil Baijal who cited "time constraints" to effect any change in mode of polling. On the Election Commission asking the AAP to "introspect" on the reasons behind its performance in Punjab, Kejriwal's caustic response was that he was considering including the EC in his party's decision-making body, the Political Affairs Committee (PAC). Addressing a press conference at his residence, Kejriwal alleged "widepsread tampering" of EVMs and claimed VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) machines from Uttar Pradesh were being brought to conduct the Rajouri Garden bypoll. "MCD polls should be held using paper ballots. It should be postponed if time is required to do that," he told reporters. The State Election Commission has already declared that the municipal polls will be held on April 23. "This goes against the norm that EVMs used in one election cannot be used in another for at least 45 days," the Delhi chief minister said. He has also written to the EC claiming that "our experts" will prove that the voting machines can be tampered with. "I challenge the ECI to give us 72 hours to prove it". The AAP chief said in light of reports that even VVPAT machines were not reliable, ballot papers were the "only safe option", which, he said, has been adopted by many western countries. "The microchips inside the EVMs can be fiddled with. Sophisticated software is being used to do that. But not all machines are tampered, the critical ones are," Kejriwal claimed without elaborating further. He also questioned the EC for using EVMs used in Uttar Pradesh's Govind Nagar for conducting bypolls in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind. At Bhind, VVPAT-enabled EVMs were found printing the BJP's poll symbol irrespective of the button pressed during a mock trial, which the opposition parties had latched on to. (PTI)

Delhi chief minister alleges 'widespread tampering' of EVMs, wants civic polls postponed

In a setback to the Kejriwal dispensation, Lt Governor Anil Baijal has directed that Rs 970 million (Rs 97 crore) be recoverd from AAP that was allegedly &quot;splurged&quot; by the city government on advertisements in violation of the Supreme Court guidelines.

Baijal also ordered an inquiry into the spendings on advertisements projecting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his party and asked the chief secretary to fix responsibility.

The AAP will have to reimburse the money within a month.

The move comes months after a Centre-appointed three-member committee indicted the AAP government for &quot;misusing&quot; exchequer money on advertisements.

Sources told PTI that out of Rs 97 crore incurred on advertisements, government has so far paid Rs 42 crore to ad agencies and the LG has directed Chief Secretary M M Kutty to get the amount reimbursed from the AAP.

The rest Rs 55 crore, which is yet to be paid by the Kejriwal government, would be given by Aam Aadmi Party to the ad agencies, according to the the LG&#39;s directions.

Last year, the three-member committee, headed by former Chief Election Commissioner B B Tandon, had been constituted by the I&amp;B ministry on directions of the Supreme Court to address issues related to Content Regulation in Government Advertising.

&quot;The Lt Governor has now directed the Chief Secretary to get the amount of Rs 97 crore from Aam Aadmi Party,&quot; a source said.

In a report earlier this month, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had also found that the Aam Aadmi Party government spent Rs 29 crore in releasing advertisements outside Delhi which was &quot;beyond&quot; its responsibility.

It had also said that advertisements worth Rs 24 crore released by it were in violation of financial propriety and Supreme Court regulations, stated the CAG report tabled in the Delhi Assembly on March 10.

The AAP Government had rejected the report.

Last year, the committee had received a complaint from Congress leader Ajay Maken accusing the AAP government in Delhi of splurging public money on advertisements.

In its order in September last year, the panel had said, &quot;It came to the conclusion that the Government of NCT of Delhi has violated guidelines issued by the Hon&#39;ble Supreme Court of India in six of the nine areas listed by the complainant&quot;.

The violations include &quot;outstation advertisements, false/misleading advertisements, advertisements for self- glorification and to target political opponents, advertisements against media, advertisements mentioning the party in power by name and also advertisements issued on incidents occurring in other states.&quot;

In its order, the panel which also comprised adman Piyush Pandey and journalist Rajat Sharma, had said that AAP should be made to reimburse the expenditure since the violation of the Supreme Court order of May 13, 2015, has taken place. 
The assessment of the expenditure should be made by the Delhi government, it said.

The panel had also directed Delhi the government to assess expenditure incurred by it in issuing advertisements outside the territory of Delhi on the occasion of various anniversaries (except those tender or appointment advertisements which are outside the purview of the Supreme Court laid guidelines in a judgment delivered in May 2015).

It had directed that the Delhi government assess expenditure on those advertisements or advertorials in which the name of Aam Admi Party is mentioned, which publicized the views of the Chief Minister on incidents that took place in other states, and advertisements which targeted the opposition.

&quot;The committee further directs the Government of NCT of Delhi to get the entire expenditure so incurred on the above mentioned category of advertisements reimbursed to the State exchequer from the Aam Admi Party,&quot; the order of the Committee on Content Regulation of government advertisements had held.

(PTI)

The AAP will have to reimburse the money within a month

In a setback to the Kejriwal dispensation, Lt Governor Anil Baijal has directed that Rs 970 million (Rs 97 crore) be recoverd from AAP that was allegedly "splurged" by the city government on advertisements in violation of the Supreme Court guidelines. Baijal also ordered an inquiry into the spendings on advertisements projecting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his party and asked the chief secretary to fix responsibility. The AAP will have to reimburse the money within a month. The move comes months after a Centre-appointed three-member committee indicted the AAP government for "misusing" exchequer money on advertisements. Sources told PTI that out of Rs 97 crore incurred on advertisements, government has so far paid Rs 42 crore to ad agencies and the LG has directed Chief Secretary M M Kutty to get the amount reimbursed from the AAP. The rest Rs 55 crore, which is yet to be paid by the Kejriwal government, would be given by Aam Aadmi Party to the ad agencies, according to the the LG's directions. Last year, the three-member committee, headed by former Chief Election Commissioner B B Tandon, had been constituted by the I&B ministry on directions of the Supreme Court to address issues related to Content Regulation in Government Advertising. "The Lt Governor has now directed the Chief Secretary to get the amount of Rs 97 crore from Aam Aadmi Party," a source said. In a report earlier this month, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had also found that the Aam Aadmi Party government spent Rs 29 crore in releasing advertisements outside Delhi which was "beyond" its responsibility. It had also said that advertisements worth Rs 24 crore released by it were in violation of financial propriety and Supreme Court regulations, stated the CAG report tabled in the Delhi Assembly on March 10. The AAP Government had rejected the report. Last year, the committee had received a complaint from Congress leader Ajay Maken accusing the AAP government in Delhi of splurging public money on advertisements. In its order in September last year, the panel had said, "It came to the conclusion that the Government of NCT of Delhi has violated guidelines issued by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in six of the nine areas listed by the complainant". The violations include "outstation advertisements, false/misleading advertisements, advertisements for self- glorification and to target political opponents, advertisements against media, advertisements mentioning the party in power by name and also advertisements issued on incidents occurring in other states." In its order, the panel which also comprised adman Piyush Pandey and journalist Rajat Sharma, had said that AAP should be made to reimburse the expenditure since the violation of the Supreme Court order of May 13, 2015, has taken place. The assessment of the expenditure should be made by the Delhi government, it said. The panel had also directed Delhi the government to assess expenditure incurred by it in issuing advertisements outside the territory of Delhi on the occasion of various anniversaries (except those tender or appointment advertisements which are outside the purview of the Supreme Court laid guidelines in a judgment delivered in May 2015). It had directed that the Delhi government assess expenditure on those advertisements or advertorials in which the name of Aam Admi Party is mentioned, which publicized the views of the Chief Minister on incidents that took place in other states, and advertisements which targeted the opposition. "The committee further directs the Government of NCT of Delhi to get the entire expenditure so incurred on the above mentioned category of advertisements reimbursed to the State exchequer from the Aam Admi Party," the order of the Committee on Content Regulation of government advertisements had held. (PTI)

Arvind Kejriwal's AAP asked to pay Rs 970 million for spending on advertisements

A Delhi Court on Saturday put on trial Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal in a criminal defamation case filed by finance minister Arun Jaitley after he pleaded &#39;not guilty&#39; and said he was ready to face trial.

The Delhi chief minister had accused Arun Jaitley of financial&nbsp;irregularities when he was president of the&nbsp;Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) which he headed for a decade till 2013.

The trial in the case will commence&nbsp;from May 20.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sumit Dass framed the defamation notice against Kejriwal and other five AAP leaders -- Ashutosh, Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chaddha and Deepak Bajpai -- after they pleaded not guilty and claimed trial.

The court witnessed chaotic scenes after advocates from both the sides heatedly argued over Jaitley&#39;s absence from court.&nbsp;

Arun Jaitley had filed the suit seeking Rs 10 crore in damages after Kejriwal and the five other AAP leaders accused him of alleged irregularities and financial bungling in the DDCA.

Besides the criminal defamation complaint in the Patiala House Court, Arun Jaitley had also&nbsp;filed a&nbsp;civil defamation case against the AAP leaders&nbsp;in&nbsp;the Delhi High Court.&nbsp;

The finance minister alleged that the AAP leaders made &quot;false and defamatory&quot; statements, thereby harming his reputation.

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

The court framed a notice against Kejriwal and other AAP leaders after he pleaded 'not guilty'

A Delhi Court on Saturday put on trial Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal in a criminal defamation case filed by finance minister Arun Jaitley after he pleaded 'not guilty' and said he was ready to face trial. The Delhi chief minister had accused Arun Jaitley of financial irregularities when he was president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) which he headed for a decade till 2013. The trial in the case will commence from May 20. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sumit Dass framed the defamation notice against Kejriwal and other five AAP leaders -- Ashutosh, Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chaddha and Deepak Bajpai -- after they pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. The court witnessed chaotic scenes after advocates from both the sides heatedly argued over Jaitley's absence from court. Arun Jaitley had filed the suit seeking Rs 10 crore in damages after Kejriwal and the five other AAP leaders accused him of alleged irregularities and financial bungling in the DDCA. Besides the criminal defamation complaint in the Patiala House Court, Arun Jaitley had also filed a civil defamation case against the AAP leaders in the Delhi High Court. The finance minister alleged that the AAP leaders made "false and defamatory" statements, thereby harming his reputation. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to face trial in Arun Jaitley's criminal defamation case

The Indian government&#39;s income-tax (I-T) department has submitted a report to the election commission which states that the audit reports prepared by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for donations of about Rs 27 crore do not match with the actual funds received by it from various donors.

Officials said this could form the basis for the cancellation of tax exemptions given under the I-T Act to the AAP and could also follow a stringent action of deregistration of the party, but all such decisions were exclusively under the domain of the Election Commission, PTI reported.

The report states that the records of donations made to the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP during 2013-14 and 2014-15 are incorrect and have discrepancies, PTI&nbsp;reported. The department has been investigating the donations list of the party for over a&nbsp;year.

Income Tax officials said the AAP treasurer had acknowledged &quot;certain errors&quot; in the records in their communication with the taxman, PTI reported.

The officials said the alleged discrepancies in the donation records of the&nbsp;party&nbsp;were about Rs 27 crore.

Parties prepare audit reports, in consultation with their chartered accountants, and submit a copy to the I-T department as per the law.

The I-T report suggested that the violations were in contravention of tax laws that governed political donations as stipulated under the Income Tax Act, 1961.

AAP chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that it was a &quot;dirty trick&quot; by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get the AAP deregistered because of fear of losing the state elections in Punjab and Goa, which begin tomorrow.

&quot;Modiji&#39;s dirty tricks. Losing badly in Goa n Punjab, he tries to deregister the winning party 24 hrs before elections. Shameless dictator,&quot; he tweeted.

&nbsp;

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Modiji&#39;s dirty tricks. Losing badly in Goa n Punjab, he tries to de-register the winning party 24 hrs before elections. Shameless dictator <a href="https://t.co/XMSdXj1OSg">https://t.co/XMSdXj1OSg</a>
&mdash; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/827362823936307200">February 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The AAP feels it is in with a chance in the Punjab polls, where it faces a triangular contest with the Congress and the incumbent SAD-BJP combine.&nbsp;

The AAP is hopeful of disturbing the ruling BJP&#39;s prospects in Goa as well.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

In a report to the poll body, the I-T department said the donation records prepared by the AAP do not match with the actual funds received

The Indian government's income-tax (I-T) department has submitted a report to the election commission which states that the audit reports prepared by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for donations of about Rs 27 crore do not match with the actual funds received by it from various donors. Officials said this could form the basis for the cancellation of tax exemptions given under the I-T Act to the AAP and could also follow a stringent action of deregistration of the party, but all such decisions were exclusively under the domain of the Election Commission, PTI reported. The report states that the records of donations made to the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP during 2013-14 and 2014-15 are incorrect and have discrepancies, PTI reported. The department has been investigating the donations list of the party for over a year. Income Tax officials said the AAP treasurer had acknowledged "certain errors" in the records in their communication with the taxman, PTI reported. The officials said the alleged discrepancies in the donation records of the party were about Rs 27 crore. Parties prepare audit reports, in consultation with their chartered accountants, and submit a copy to the I-T department as per the law. The I-T report suggested that the violations were in contravention of tax laws that governed political donations as stipulated under the Income Tax Act, 1961. AAP chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that it was a "dirty trick" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get the AAP deregistered because of fear of losing the state elections in Punjab and Goa, which begin tomorrow. "Modiji's dirty tricks. Losing badly in Goa n Punjab, he tries to deregister the winning party 24 hrs before elections. Shameless dictator," he tweeted. Modiji's dirty tricks. Losing badly in Goa n Punjab, he tries to de-register the winning party 24 hrs before elections. Shameless dictator https://t.co/XMSdXj1OSg — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 3, 2017 × The AAP feels it is in with a chance in the Punjab polls, where it faces a triangular contest with the Congress and the incumbent SAD-BJP combine. The AAP is hopeful of disturbing the ruling BJP's prospects in Goa as well. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Aam Aadmi Party donation records inaccurate, could lead to deregistration by Election Commission: I-T department

The Election Commission today (January 29) ordered poll authorities in Goa to register a police complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his remarks about bribes made at a poll rally in the state.

The poll body also termed as &quot;scurrilous&quot; the AAP leader&#39;s claim that the Commission is encouraging bribery by restraining him from uttering such statements.

The poll body said the First Information Report (FIR)/complaint be lodged against the AAP leader under provisions of the Representation of the People Act dealing with bribing voters and relevant sections of the IPC.

&quot;Being Chief Minister of Delhi and a star campaigner of AAP in Goa, he is expected to conduct in an exemplary manner in election campaigns in a law abiding manner so as to be a role model for others to emulate but he has on several occasions again violated provisions of MCC by breaking his assurance to EC...

&quot;The Commission directs that necessary legal action be initiated by filing an FIR/complaint against Arvind Kejriwal for the statements...Compliance report in this regard should be sent to the Commission latest by 3.00 PM on January 31,&quot; the poll panel said.

The Commission recalled that it has censured Kejriwal for violating the provisions of MCC and expected him to be more circumspect in public utterances during election time.

&quot;Arvind Kejriwal has again written a letter... Stating therein that he is not abetting bribery by appealing to voters to accept money from any party but to vote in favour of Jharu (AAP)... He stated that the Commission is encouraging bribery by refraining him from uttering such statements.

&quot;These submissions being baseless and scurrilous are totally unjustified in the light of the provisions of law on bribery and are not acceptable to the Commission,&quot; the Commission said.

While directing the Chief Electoral Officer of Goa to lodge FIR/complaint against Kejriwal, the Commission also responded to his letter in which he had asked that he be allowed to raise issue of voters being bribed.

&quot;The Commission is quite concerned about your conduct, public utterances and demeanour. Even after being reprimanded by the Commission...You are still continuing with your statements of instigating voters to take money from other parties.

&quot;Instead of making wild allegations, you are most welcome to adduce any evidence of distribution of black money...,&quot; the letter to the AAP leader said.

The poll panel once again directed him &quot;not to indulge in making any further statements which directly or indirectly instigate voters&quot; in accepting money.

It warned of &quot;stern action&quot; if Kejriwal continued with his statements on the issue.

In a statement, the Aam Aadmi Party said the Election Commission has directed Kejriwal not to make any further statements in the reference to his bribery remarks.

The party said, the order &quot;does not convey that any criminal case has been registered against Kejriwal&quot;.

&quot;Rather it is being highlighted that section 171(b) which defines the offence of bribery in the Indian Penal Code and its punishment defined under Section 171(e) of IPC, is not only a non-cognizable offence, but is also bailable. So being a non-cognizable offence no FIR can be registered for this particular offence,&quot; the party said in a statement.

The party said Kejriwal&#39;s statement does not amount to any offence. &quot;We have decided to avail all legal remedies available after any order is communicated to us or comes to our notice,&quot; the party said.

The party hit out at the poll panel again, this time questioning its independence and targeting Election Commissioner A K Joti.

&quot;Election Commissioner Joti never worked outside Gujarat in his entire career. A 1975-batch IAS officer, Joti retired as chief secretary in January 2013. Is Election Commission impartial &amp; independent? One of the commissioners was chief secretary of Gujarat before he retired in 2013.

&quot;Within 24 hours of PM Modi dictating criticism of EC is not acceptable, EC orders registration of FIR against @ArvindKejriwal coincidence?&quot; Nagender Sharma, Media Advisor to Kejriwal, said in a series of tweets.

His tweets were retweeted by Kejriwal.&nbsp;

(PTI)

 
&nbsp;

The poll body also termed as "scurrilous" the AAP leader's claim that the Commission is encouraging bribery by restraining him

The Election Commission today (January 29) ordered poll authorities in Goa to register a police complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his remarks about bribes made at a poll rally in the state. The poll body also termed as "scurrilous" the AAP leader's claim that the Commission is encouraging bribery by restraining him from uttering such statements. The poll body said the First Information Report (FIR)/complaint be lodged against the AAP leader under provisions of the Representation of the People Act dealing with bribing voters and relevant sections of the IPC. "Being Chief Minister of Delhi and a star campaigner of AAP in Goa, he is expected to conduct in an exemplary manner in election campaigns in a law abiding manner so as to be a role model for others to emulate but he has on several occasions again violated provisions of MCC by breaking his assurance to EC... "The Commission directs that necessary legal action be initiated by filing an FIR/complaint against Arvind Kejriwal for the statements...Compliance report in this regard should be sent to the Commission latest by 3.00 PM on January 31," the poll panel said. The Commission recalled that it has censured Kejriwal for violating the provisions of MCC and expected him to be more circumspect in public utterances during election time. "Arvind Kejriwal has again written a letter... Stating therein that he is not abetting bribery by appealing to voters to accept money from any party but to vote in favour of Jharu (AAP)... He stated that the Commission is encouraging bribery by refraining him from uttering such statements. "These submissions being baseless and scurrilous are totally unjustified in the light of the provisions of law on bribery and are not acceptable to the Commission," the Commission said. While directing the Chief Electoral Officer of Goa to lodge FIR/complaint against Kejriwal, the Commission also responded to his letter in which he had asked that he be allowed to raise issue of voters being bribed. "The Commission is quite concerned about your conduct, public utterances and demeanour. Even after being reprimanded by the Commission...You are still continuing with your statements of instigating voters to take money from other parties. "Instead of making wild allegations, you are most welcome to adduce any evidence of distribution of black money...," the letter to the AAP leader said. The poll panel once again directed him "not to indulge in making any further statements which directly or indirectly instigate voters" in accepting money. It warned of "stern action" if Kejriwal continued with his statements on the issue. In a statement, the Aam Aadmi Party said the Election Commission has directed Kejriwal not to make any further statements in the reference to his bribery remarks. The party said, the order "does not convey that any criminal case has been registered against Kejriwal". "Rather it is being highlighted that section 171(b) which defines the offence of bribery in the Indian Penal Code and its punishment defined under Section 171(e) of IPC, is not only a non-cognizable offence, but is also bailable. So being a non-cognizable offence no FIR can be registered for this particular offence," the party said in a statement. The party said Kejriwal's statement does not amount to any offence. "We have decided to avail all legal remedies available after any order is communicated to us or comes to our notice," the party said. The party hit out at the poll panel again, this time questioning its independence and targeting Election Commissioner A K Joti. "Election Commissioner Joti never worked outside Gujarat in his entire career. A 1975-batch IAS officer, Joti retired as chief secretary in January 2013. Is Election Commission impartial & independent? One of the commissioners was chief secretary of Gujarat before he retired in 2013. "Within 24 hours of PM Modi dictating criticism of EC is not acceptable, EC orders registration of FIR against @ArvindKejriwal coincidence?" Nagender Sharma, Media Advisor to Kejriwal, said in a series of tweets. His tweets were retweeted by Kejriwal. (PTI)

Election Commission orders police complaint against Delhi chief minister for bribe remarks

By Sumit Kumar Singh

The foreign visits of Delhi&#39;s ruling Aam Aadmi Party&#39;s (AAP)&nbsp;ministers and bureaucrats are now under the glare of the Comptroller and Auditor General&#39;s (CAG) office, which has started an audit of the expenditure on these trips.

The central auditing body has sent a missive to the Delhi finance, general administrative and urban development departments, seeking details of the foreign trips of babus and ministers. The auditing body also asked the &quot;purpose of the visit&quot; and &quot;cost to the government exchequer&quot;. It has also sought explanations on how the trip was fruitful in terms of the &quot;development&quot; and &quot;governance&quot; in the city.

Sources in the Delhi secretariat told DNA: &quot;The letter was marked to the principal secretary and secretaries of these departments.&quot; The auditing body has sought information regarding the Lieutenant Governor&#39;s approval regarding the foreign trips made by bureaucrats and ministers.

In the last 18 months, AAP ministers have made 10 foreign trips, with deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia alone making six foreign trips &mdash; one in every three months. Sisodia has incurred an expenditure of over Rs 30.73 lakh ($3.07 million) for three foreign trips.

Sources said that Sisodia had travelled to Athens, Finland and Sao Paulo. The Delhi deputy chief minister went to Sao Paulo from August 11 to August 15 in 2015, to attend a one-day conference, but spent two days in Rio de Janeiro before the conference and had taken a two-day break after the conference to visit the Igiazu falls and Argentina.

Sources said the issue of foreign trips came under public scrutiny last year after when the first dengue death was reported in the capital. That time, Sisodia was out of the country. He was in Finland from September 11 to September 17 in 2016, when Delhi witnessed the worst crisis of dengue and chikungunya cases.

Sisodia also went to Berlin to attend the German Habitat Forum, but extended his trip to visit Amsterdam and Paris as well.

Similarly, health minister Satyendra Jain made the maximum trips in a year &ndash; three -- incurring an expenditure of Rs 18 lakh ($1.8 million). Jain also accompanied Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to Rome for two days for the canonization of Mother Teresa from September 3 to September 5, 2016, at a cost of Rs 13.5 lakh ($1.35 million).

In October 2015, a 10-member delegation of AAP, including ministers Gopal Rai and Jain, visited Sweden. The vice-chairman of Delhi Dialogue Commission, Ashish Khetan, also went to Manchester in United Kingdom in March, 2016, with Jain.

Earlier, former Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung had directed the state government&#39;s General Administration Department to furnish details about foreign visits by ministers, their personal staff and other officials to carry out an inquiry.

The inquiry was conducted after Jung called back Sisodia from Finland. In fact, most of the Delhi cabinet was out of town at a time when the capital was reeling from dengue and chikungunya.

(This article first appeared in DNA)

In the last 18 months, AAP ministers have made 10 foreign trips. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has made six

By Sumit Kumar Singh The foreign visits of Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) ministers and bureaucrats are now under the glare of the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) office, which has started an audit of the expenditure on these trips. The central auditing body has sent a missive to the Delhi finance, general administrative and urban development departments, seeking details of the foreign trips of babus and ministers. The auditing body also asked the "purpose of the visit" and "cost to the government exchequer". It has also sought explanations on how the trip was fruitful in terms of the "development" and "governance" in the city. Sources in the Delhi secretariat told DNA: "The letter was marked to the principal secretary and secretaries of these departments." The auditing body has sought information regarding the Lieutenant Governor's approval regarding the foreign trips made by bureaucrats and ministers. In the last 18 months, AAP ministers have made 10 foreign trips, with deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia alone making six foreign trips — one in every three months. Sisodia has incurred an expenditure of over Rs 30.73 lakh ($3.07 million) for three foreign trips. Sources said that Sisodia had travelled to Athens, Finland and Sao Paulo. The Delhi deputy chief minister went to Sao Paulo from August 11 to August 15 in 2015, to attend a one-day conference, but spent two days in Rio de Janeiro before the conference and had taken a two-day break after the conference to visit the Igiazu falls and Argentina. Sources said the issue of foreign trips came under public scrutiny last year after when the first dengue death was reported in the capital. That time, Sisodia was out of the country. He was in Finland from September 11 to September 17 in 2016, when Delhi witnessed the worst crisis of dengue and chikungunya cases. Sisodia also went to Berlin to attend the German Habitat Forum, but extended his trip to visit Amsterdam and Paris as well. Similarly, health minister Satyendra Jain made the maximum trips in a year – three -- incurring an expenditure of Rs 18 lakh ($1.8 million). Jain also accompanied Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to Rome for two days for the canonization of Mother Teresa from September 3 to September 5, 2016, at a cost of Rs 13.5 lakh ($1.35 million). In October 2015, a 10-member delegation of AAP, including ministers Gopal Rai and Jain, visited Sweden. The vice-chairman of Delhi Dialogue Commission, Ashish Khetan, also went to Manchester in United Kingdom in March, 2016, with Jain. Earlier, former Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung had directed the state government's General Administration Department to furnish details about foreign visits by ministers, their personal staff and other officials to carry out an inquiry. The inquiry was conducted after Jung called back Sisodia from Finland. In fact, most of the Delhi cabinet was out of town at a time when the capital was reeling from dengue and chikungunya. (This article first appeared in DNA)

India's top audit authority questions foreign visits of Aam Aadmi Party ministers

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Friday announced a populist manifesto for the upcoming Punjab assembly elections, also claiming that it would appoint a Dalit as the deputy chief minister if it came to power.

.A team of AAP leaders led by Punjab in-charge Sanjay Singh released the manifesto.

The welfare of Dalits, BPL families, employees, farmers and women would be on top of the agenda if the AAP forms a government.

The manifesto lists out a whole host of freebies. It has promised laptops for all government school students, waiver on residential property tax, setting up of an NRI board, etc.

It also promises to provide 33 per cent reservations for women in government jobs.

Singh, who is national general secretary of AAP, said all promises made by them in the previous six manifestos released for different categories &quot;are an agreement with the people of Punjab and AAP will fulfil each promise&quot;, PTI reported.

The party has also promised to declare&nbsp;Amritsar and Anandpur Sahib as holy cities.

The party said in its manifesto that it will open up Aam Aadmi canteens at district and sub-division levels in the state where a one-time meal will cost just 5 rupees.

It also announced that power tariff will be reduced to half for usage up to 400 units.&nbsp;

The party also came down hard on the alleged mafia in transport, liquor and sand mining and promised that these sectors will be opened up for general public.

&quot;The passenger buses would be run by public transport and permits will be given to the unemployed youth. Similarly, the monopoly in liquor and sand mining would be broken and contracts would be given to youth,&quot; AAP said.&nbsp;The party said that the move will help in creating jobs for the youth in the state.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

The manifesto assures laptops for all government school students, 33% reservation for women in government jobs, and welfare of Dalits

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Friday announced a populist manifesto for the upcoming Punjab assembly elections, also claiming that it would appoint a Dalit as the deputy chief minister if it came to power. .A team of AAP leaders led by Punjab in-charge Sanjay Singh released the manifesto. The welfare of Dalits, BPL families, employees, farmers and women would be on top of the agenda if the AAP forms a government. The manifesto lists out a whole host of freebies. It has promised laptops for all government school students, waiver on residential property tax, setting up of an NRI board, etc. It also promises to provide 33 per cent reservations for women in government jobs. Singh, who is national general secretary of AAP, said all promises made by them in the previous six manifestos released for different categories "are an agreement with the people of Punjab and AAP will fulfil each promise", PTI reported. The party has also promised to declare Amritsar and Anandpur Sahib as holy cities. The party said in its manifesto that it will open up Aam Aadmi canteens at district and sub-division levels in the state where a one-time meal will cost just 5 rupees. It also announced that power tariff will be reduced to half for usage up to 400 units. The party also came down hard on the alleged mafia in transport, liquor and sand mining and promised that these sectors will be opened up for general public. "The passenger buses would be run by public transport and permits will be given to the unemployed youth. Similarly, the monopoly in liquor and sand mining would be broken and contracts would be given to youth," AAP said. The party said that the move will help in creating jobs for the youth in the state. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Aam Aadmi Party announces manifesto for Punjab polls; promises freebies, Dalit deputy chief minister

The political head of Delhi state in India&#39;s north and the convener of Aam Aadmi Party, Arvind Kejriwal, has received death threats on his official mail.

The mail, which were sent both on Tuesday and Wednesday, said four men would target Kejriwal.

The identity of the sender&nbsp;has not been identified yet.

&quot;There&#39;s a letter from the Chief Minister&#39;s office forwarding an email mentioning some names and numbers of people who want to kill the CM. We are verifying the information. No case has been registered in the matter so far,&quot; PTI quoted an officer as saying.

The crime branch of Delhi Police is probing the matter.

This is not the first time Kejriwal, who swept to power in Delhi on the back of a pledge to combat corruption, has received threat mail on his official email ID.&nbsp;

On February 15, the Delhi chief minister had received similar threats to his life.

(WION)

The unidentified sender of the mail said four men would target the chief minister of Delhi

The political head of Delhi state in India's north and the convener of Aam Aadmi Party, Arvind Kejriwal, has received death threats on his official mail. The mail, which were sent both on Tuesday and Wednesday, said four men would target Kejriwal. The identity of the sender has not been identified yet. "There's a letter from the Chief Minister's office forwarding an email mentioning some names and numbers of people who want to kill the CM. We are verifying the information. No case has been registered in the matter so far," PTI quoted an officer as saying. The crime branch of Delhi Police is probing the matter. This is not the first time Kejriwal, who swept to power in Delhi on the back of a pledge to combat corruption, has received threat mail on his official email ID. On February 15, the Delhi chief minister had received similar threats to his life. (WION)

India: Delhi head Arvind Kejriwal receives death threat

India&#39;s Election Commission, an authority that overlooks election processes in the country, has censured Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his bribe remarks made at a poll rally in India&#39;s western state of Goa and said if he continues to violate the model code, stern action would be taken against him and his party, including suspension or withdrawal of recognition to AAP. 
 
&quot;...The Election Commission hereby censures you for violating...provisions of MCC (Model Code of Conduct) and expects that you shall be more circumspect in your public utterances during election time. 
 
&quot;You may also note that in case of similar violation of MCC in future, the Commission shall take stern action against you and your party, using all powers available to it including action under Para 16A of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968,&quot; it said in its order issued yesterday. 
 
Para 16A gives the poll panel power to &quot;suspend or withdraw recognition of a recognised political party for its failure to observe Model Code of Conduct or follow lawful directions and instructions of the Commission&quot;. 
 
While issuing him show cause notice on January 16, the Commission had quoted him as saying at an election rally that Congress and BJP will come to distribute money. People should accept it in new currency and ask for Rs 10,000 instead of Rs 5,000 keeping in mind the inflation. He had said that the vote should go to AAP. The elections in Goa will take place on February 4, 2017. 
 
Reacting to the order, Kejriwal said EC is wrong and will challenge it in the court. 
 
&quot;EC order against me completely wrong. Lower court gave order in my favor. EC ignored court&#39;s order. Will challenge EC&#39;s latest order in court,&quot; Kejriwal tweeted.

(PTI)

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal opposed the Election Commission's view and said he'd explore legal options to challenge the repoach

India's Election Commission, an authority that overlooks election processes in the country, has censured Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his bribe remarks made at a poll rally in India's western state of Goa and said if he continues to violate the model code, stern action would be taken against him and his party, including suspension or withdrawal of recognition to AAP. "...The Election Commission hereby censures you for violating...provisions of MCC (Model Code of Conduct) and expects that you shall be more circumspect in your public utterances during election time. "You may also note that in case of similar violation of MCC in future, the Commission shall take stern action against you and your party, using all powers available to it including action under Para 16A of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968," it said in its order issued yesterday. Para 16A gives the poll panel power to "suspend or withdraw recognition of a recognised political party for its failure to observe Model Code of Conduct or follow lawful directions and instructions of the Commission". While issuing him show cause notice on January 16, the Commission had quoted him as saying at an election rally that Congress and BJP will come to distribute money. People should accept it in new currency and ask for Rs 10,000 instead of Rs 5,000 keeping in mind the inflation. He had said that the vote should go to AAP. The elections in Goa will take place on February 4, 2017. Reacting to the order, Kejriwal said EC is wrong and will challenge it in the court. "EC order against me completely wrong. Lower court gave order in my favor. EC ignored court's order. Will challenge EC's latest order in court," Kejriwal tweeted. (PTI)

India's election body censures Delhi chief Kejriwal for bribe remark at poll rally

The deputy chief minister of Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal, accused Aam Aadmi Party convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of flirting with pro-Khalistani elements.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Kejriwal is playing a dangerous game. After realising that he is losing his base, he has started aligning with radical organisations,&rdquo; said Badal.&nbsp;

The Khalistan movement is an extremist movement which aims to carve a separate state for the Sikhs.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president also alleged that Kejriwal is meeting people and organisations who created trouble in Punjab and propagated the idea of Khalistan, especially in the 1980s. &ldquo;Recently he met RP Singh who heads the frontal organisation of Babbar Khalsa International which is a terrorist organisation,&rdquo; alleged Sukhbir Badal.&nbsp;

He went on to say that if AAP came to power, they would hand over Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to radical groups in the state so that places of worship could be used for anti-national activities. SGPC is a body that manages places of worship for Sikh people in India&#39;s northern Punjab state.

Sukhbir Badal also blamed AAP&rsquo;s MP Bhagwant Mann for inciting people to throw stones at him.&nbsp;

&ldquo;He is fighting against me and asks his cadre to throw stones at me. He is inciting violence,&rdquo; said Badal. &nbsp;

&quot;Akalis and Congress have never propagated violence but AAP does. In their rallies they propagate violence,&rdquo; he further said.

He even defended his wife and federal cabinet minister Harsimrat Kaur for her statement that if Badals give a signal, the AAP would be finished in Punjab.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Our workers have a limit. You cannot continue to attack us like this. We have video evidence to show that they are saying throw stones and break their cars. They want Punjab to be taken back to the old times,&rdquo; he said.

Sukhbir Badal also attacked former chief minister of Punjab Amrindar Singh for promising voters to put an end to the culture of entitlement in Punjab. &quot;He should first shake off his security cover because he has hundreds of guards protecting him,&rdquo; Badal said.&nbsp;

Badal says that the biggest enemy of the Congress is the Congress itself. &ldquo;First let them fight it out,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;

The SAD chief also defended his decision to spruce up heritage sites on the ground that tourism has gone up in the state.

The SAD, which has an alliance with the BJP in Punjab, defended the decision of demonetisation and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a stand against black money and people have appreciated it.

Badal also maintained that he wouldn&#39;t be the chief minister of the state if his party came to power again. &ldquo;My father Prakash Singh Badal will continue to be the chief minister.&rdquo;&nbsp;

The battle of Punjab is as important as Uttar Pradesh. It has become a battle of ideas. If AAP does well, it would propel them to the national stage and if it doesn&rsquo;t then it would be restricted to Delhi as a regional phenomenon. For this very reason, both Congress and SAD continue to ignore AAP as a challenger but the fact of the matter is that they are there and even if they don&rsquo;t win, they have made an impact in the state, sometimes veering towards the disruptive.&nbsp;

The SAD is battling 10 years of incumbency in Punjab and is facing a three-pronged battle in the state for the first time after AAP threw its hat in the ring.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the AAP had surprised everyone by winning four Lok Sabha seats.

(WION) 
&nbsp;

The Shiromani Akali Dal leader also accused Kejriwal-led AAP of propagating violence in the state

The deputy chief minister of Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal, accused Aam Aadmi Party convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of flirting with pro-Khalistani elements. “Kejriwal is playing a dangerous game. After realising that he is losing his base, he has started aligning with radical organisations,” said Badal. The Khalistan movement is an extremist movement which aims to carve a separate state for the Sikhs. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president also alleged that Kejriwal is meeting people and organisations who created trouble in Punjab and propagated the idea of Khalistan, especially in the 1980s. “Recently he met RP Singh who heads the frontal organisation of Babbar Khalsa International which is a terrorist organisation,” alleged Sukhbir Badal. He went on to say that if AAP came to power, they would hand over Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to radical groups in the state so that places of worship could be used for anti-national activities. SGPC is a body that manages places of worship for Sikh people in India's northern Punjab state. Sukhbir Badal also blamed AAP’s MP Bhagwant Mann for inciting people to throw stones at him. “He is fighting against me and asks his cadre to throw stones at me. He is inciting violence,” said Badal. "Akalis and Congress have never propagated violence but AAP does. In their rallies they propagate violence,” he further said. He even defended his wife and federal cabinet minister Harsimrat Kaur for her statement that if Badals give a signal, the AAP would be finished in Punjab. “Our workers have a limit. You cannot continue to attack us like this. We have video evidence to show that they are saying throw stones and break their cars. They want Punjab to be taken back to the old times,” he said. Sukhbir Badal also attacked former chief minister of Punjab Amrindar Singh for promising voters to put an end to the culture of entitlement in Punjab. "He should first shake off his security cover because he has hundreds of guards protecting him,” Badal said. Badal says that the biggest enemy of the Congress is the Congress itself. “First let them fight it out,” he said. The SAD chief also defended his decision to spruce up heritage sites on the ground that tourism has gone up in the state. The SAD, which has an alliance with the BJP in Punjab, defended the decision of demonetisation and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a stand against black money and people have appreciated it. Badal also maintained that he wouldn't be the chief minister of the state if his party came to power again. “My father Prakash Singh Badal will continue to be the chief minister.” The battle of Punjab is as important as Uttar Pradesh. It has become a battle of ideas. If AAP does well, it would propel them to the national stage and if it doesn’t then it would be restricted to Delhi as a regional phenomenon. For this very reason, both Congress and SAD continue to ignore AAP as a challenger but the fact of the matter is that they are there and even if they don’t win, they have made an impact in the state, sometimes veering towards the disruptive. The SAD is battling 10 years of incumbency in Punjab and is facing a three-pronged battle in the state for the first time after AAP threw its hat in the ring. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the AAP had surprised everyone by winning four Lok Sabha seats. (WION)

AAP flirting with Khalistani elements, claims Punjab's deputy chief minister

Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal quashed rumours that he is the chief ministerial candidate of India&#39;s northern state of Punjab should his party win the regional elections next month.

The rebuttal comes a day after Delhi&#39;s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia urged the people of Mohali to vote assuming Kejriwal would become the chief minister -- a statement was excoriated by rival parties.

During the campaign trail in Patiala on Wednesday, Indian Express quoted Kejriwal as saying: &quot;&ldquo;How can I be the chief minister of Punjab when I am the chief minister of Delhi? The CM of Punjab will be from Punjab.&rdquo;

But he vowed to the gathered public that he would ensure all election promises would be fulfilled by whoever is appointed as the next helmer of the state.&nbsp;

Punjab state, which has an estimated population of 28 million, is set&nbsp;to vote on February 4.

Sisodia&#39;s remark had put AAP on the backfoot after rival parties accused them of betraying the voters of Punjab.&nbsp;

Shiromani Akali Sal leader and Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said that if Kejriwal was to become the chief minister, it would demonstrate that AAP &quot;had no trust in Punjabis&quot;.

Congress leader and Kejriwal&#39;s arch enemy Amarinder Singh posted a scathing tweet: &quot;After months of beating around the bush, truth of Arvind Kejriwal and his nefarious ambitions comes out! What a sneaky little fellow!&rdquo;

Aam Aadmi Party, however, has yet to announce the chief ministerial candidate of Punjab.

But party insiders told NDTV that Kejriwal would not relinquish Delhi to become the chief minister of Punjab.

(WION)

A day after Sisodia urged people to cast votes assuming Kejriwal to be CM, the latter assured the next 'CM of Punjab will be from Punjab'

Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal quashed rumours that he is the chief ministerial candidate of India's northern state of Punjab should his party win the regional elections next month. The rebuttal comes a day after Delhi's deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia urged the people of Mohali to vote assuming Kejriwal would become the chief minister -- a statement was excoriated by rival parties. During the campaign trail in Patiala on Wednesday, Indian Express quoted Kejriwal as saying: "“How can I be the chief minister of Punjab when I am the chief minister of Delhi? The CM of Punjab will be from Punjab.” But he vowed to the gathered public that he would ensure all election promises would be fulfilled by whoever is appointed as the next helmer of the state. Punjab state, which has an estimated population of 28 million, is set to vote on February 4. Sisodia's remark had put AAP on the backfoot after rival parties accused them of betraying the voters of Punjab. Shiromani Akali Sal leader and Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said that if Kejriwal was to become the chief minister, it would demonstrate that AAP "had no trust in Punjabis". Congress leader and Kejriwal's arch enemy Amarinder Singh posted a scathing tweet: "After months of beating around the bush, truth of Arvind Kejriwal and his nefarious ambitions comes out! What a sneaky little fellow!” Aam Aadmi Party, however, has yet to announce the chief ministerial candidate of Punjab. But party insiders told NDTV that Kejriwal would not relinquish Delhi to become the chief minister of Punjab. (WION)

Punjab elections: Kejriwal rubbishes Sisodia's 'chief minister' remark

Manish Sisodia, the deputy chief minister of Delhi finally let the cat out of the bag when he said, &quot;Vote for AAP thinking that you are voting for Arvind Kejriwal,&rdquo; a hint picked and immediately criticised by political parties in the fray in Punjab.&nbsp;

The deputy chief minister of Punjab, Sukhbir Badal, said, &quot;I ask Punjabis to evaluate the action of this anti-Punjab party and reject the attempts to foist outsiders in the state.

Even Yogendra Yadav pitched in. He said, &quot;Kejriwal should make a clear announcement. It is good for Delhi as they would realise who is not their chief minister (CM) and good for Punjab as they would know who is AAP&rsquo;s CM candidate.&rdquo;&nbsp;

For a long time, the AAP has maintained the suspense on who the CM candidate for Punjab from the party would be. Even the BJP was quick to attack the AAP.&nbsp;

&quot;He didn&rsquo;t work in Delhi and his politics has only been that of accusations,&quot; said BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli.

Sources said that AAP&rsquo;S talks with Navjyot Singh Sidhu failed on this issue since he wanted to be the face of the AAP&rsquo;s campaign. &nbsp;With Kejriwal firmly pitched for Punjab, the dynamics of polls will change and the politics of insider and outsider might get added to the narrative. 
 
(WION) 
&nbsp;

For a long time, the AAP has maintained the suspense on who the chief ministerial candidate for Punjab from the party would be

Manish Sisodia, the deputy chief minister of Delhi finally let the cat out of the bag when he said, "Vote for AAP thinking that you are voting for Arvind Kejriwal,” a hint picked and immediately criticised by political parties in the fray in Punjab. The deputy chief minister of Punjab, Sukhbir Badal, said, "I ask Punjabis to evaluate the action of this anti-Punjab party and reject the attempts to foist outsiders in the state. Even Yogendra Yadav pitched in. He said, "Kejriwal should make a clear announcement. It is good for Delhi as they would realise who is not their chief minister (CM) and good for Punjab as they would know who is AAP’s CM candidate.” For a long time, the AAP has maintained the suspense on who the CM candidate for Punjab from the party would be. Even the BJP was quick to attack the AAP. "He didn’t work in Delhi and his politics has only been that of accusations," said BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli. Sources said that AAP’S talks with Navjyot Singh Sidhu failed on this issue since he wanted to be the face of the AAP’s campaign. With Kejriwal firmly pitched for Punjab, the dynamics of polls will change and the politics of insider and outsider might get added to the narrative. (WION)

Delhi deputy chief minister drops the hint: Kejriwal to move to Punjab?

Najeeb Jung on Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a day after springing a surprise by tendering resignation as Delhi&#39;s Lieutenant-Governor even as he said that he had wanted to quit earlier but was asked by the PM to continue. 
 
Jung reached the Prime Minister&#39;s Office (PMO) at South Block here around 11.30 am and spent a little over an hour inside. 
 
Sources said it was a courtesy meeting. Yesterday, in his brief resignation statement, Jung had thanked Modi for his help and cooperation. 
 
Rejecting speculation that he quit as pressure was mounting on him, Jung was quoted as saying by NDTV that there is no politics behind his decision and that he wanted to quit earlier as well. 
 
&quot;I had offered to resign as I had been appointed by the previous UPA government, but the PM asked me to carry on. 
 
After three years, I requested the PM to relieve me but he asked me to carry on,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;After three and a half years, I requested the PM again on Tuesday that I would like to resign on personal grounds,&quot; Jung was quoted as saying. 
 
Jung also said that he would like to write a book. 
 
Over the last two years, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has time and again taken on Jung over his perceived closeness to Modi. 
 
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal had an hour-long meeting with Jung over breakfast during which the latter reminisced their nearly two-year-long association in governing the city besides discussing other issues. 
 
The Delhi Chief Minister said he was invited by the Lt Governor for the breakfast meeting that came a day after Jung&#39;s sudden resignation from the post. 
 
Sources said Jung and Kejriwal spoke about the bittersweet times and spent some light moments. 
 
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also called on Jung. 
 
Asked why Jung quit, Kejriwal said, &quot;He resigned due to personal reasons.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Though publicly Kejriwal had made stinging attacks on Jung on many occasions, both of them are known to share a cordial relationship at personal level. 
 
Asked about his meeting with Jung, Sisodia said, &quot;We had a very good chat. He shared memories of the last two years and also of his days as a bureaucrat. He said that he was mulling quitting over the last one year. 
 
&quot;He wants to spend time with his family and focus on academics. He said that he could not quit due to things like chikungunya (outbreak in the city).&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Sisodia said he shared a &quot;good rapport&quot; with Jung and thanked him for his cooperation especially in areas of education. &quot;We will work for the people if Delhi irrespective of circumstances be that easy or tough.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
On who could be next LG of Delhi, the Deputy Chief Minister said many names are doing the rounds but nothing official has come up. 
 
Sources close to Jung had said yesterday his resignation has nothing to do with his acrimonious relationship with the AAP government over matters of jurisdiction and he was contemplating to quit for last few months. 
 
The Chief Minister was in Ranchi yesterday when the news of Jung&#39;s resignation broke.

AAP, Congress &#39;doing politics&#39; over Jung&#39;s resignation

Earlier in the day, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju criticised the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress for &quot;doing politics&quot; over the resignation of Delhi LG Najeeb Jung.

&quot;I don&#39;t know what problems do the AAP and Congress have. When Jung was working, they were demanding resignation.

&quot;Now since he has resigned, they are questioning why he has resigned. Should Jung have resigned by taking permission from AAP and Congress?,&quot; Rijiju said.

The Minister of State for Home said the AAP and Congress leaders have no locus standi to ask questions.

He asked the two parties &quot;to give up doing politics&quot; over Jung&#39;s resignation.

(PTI)

Jung also met his sparring partner, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, and spoke about the bittersweet times they shared in the past

Najeeb Jung on Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a day after springing a surprise by tendering resignation as Delhi's Lieutenant-Governor even as he said that he had wanted to quit earlier but was asked by the PM to continue. Jung reached the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) at South Block here around 11.30 am and spent a little over an hour inside. Sources said it was a courtesy meeting. Yesterday, in his brief resignation statement, Jung had thanked Modi for his help and cooperation. Rejecting speculation that he quit as pressure was mounting on him, Jung was quoted as saying by NDTV that there is no politics behind his decision and that he wanted to quit earlier as well. "I had offered to resign as I had been appointed by the previous UPA government, but the PM asked me to carry on. After three years, I requested the PM to relieve me but he asked me to carry on," he said. "After three and a half years, I requested the PM again on Tuesday that I would like to resign on personal grounds," Jung was quoted as saying. Jung also said that he would like to write a book. Over the last two years, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has time and again taken on Jung over his perceived closeness to Modi. Earlier in the day, Kejriwal had an hour-long meeting with Jung over breakfast during which the latter reminisced their nearly two-year-long association in governing the city besides discussing other issues. The Delhi Chief Minister said he was invited by the Lt Governor for the breakfast meeting that came a day after Jung's sudden resignation from the post. Sources said Jung and Kejriwal spoke about the bittersweet times and spent some light moments. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also called on Jung. Asked why Jung quit, Kejriwal said, "He resigned due to personal reasons." Though publicly Kejriwal had made stinging attacks on Jung on many occasions, both of them are known to share a cordial relationship at personal level. Asked about his meeting with Jung, Sisodia said, "We had a very good chat. He shared memories of the last two years and also of his days as a bureaucrat. He said that he was mulling quitting over the last one year. "He wants to spend time with his family and focus on academics. He said that he could not quit due to things like chikungunya (outbreak in the city)." Sisodia said he shared a "good rapport" with Jung and thanked him for his cooperation especially in areas of education. "We will work for the people if Delhi irrespective of circumstances be that easy or tough." On who could be next LG of Delhi, the Deputy Chief Minister said many names are doing the rounds but nothing official has come up. Sources close to Jung had said yesterday his resignation has nothing to do with his acrimonious relationship with the AAP government over matters of jurisdiction and he was contemplating to quit for last few months. The Chief Minister was in Ranchi yesterday when the news of Jung's resignation broke. AAP, Congress 'doing politics' over Jung's resignation Earlier in the day, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju criticised the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress for "doing politics" over the resignation of Delhi LG Najeeb Jung. "I don't know what problems do the AAP and Congress have. When Jung was working, they were demanding resignation. "Now since he has resigned, they are questioning why he has resigned. Should Jung have resigned by taking permission from AAP and Congress?," Rijiju said. The Minister of State for Home said the AAP and Congress leaders have no locus standi to ask questions. He asked the two parties "to give up doing politics" over Jung's resignation. (PTI)

Najeeb Jung, who stepped down as Delhi LG, meets PM Modi

Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung has submitted his resignation, after months of hot exchange between him and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Jung would be returning to his &quot;first love&quot; which is academics, Indian news agency ANI quoted the governor&#39;s office as saying.

The sixty-five-year-old thanked Kejriwal and&nbsp;the people of Delhi &quot;for all their support and affection&quot; which allowed him to run the administration in Delhi &quot;smoothly and effortlessly&quot;.

He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his help and cooperation and&nbsp;Arvind Kejriwal for his &quot;association&quot;.

Sources close to Jung told the Press Trust of India, that his resignation had nothing to do with the bitter relationship he shared with the Kejriwal government and that he had been planning to quit for months.

&quot;His decision to quit was not at all related to his relationship with the AAP government. It was purely a personal decision which he was mulling over for quite some time,&quot; the source said.&nbsp;

Jung was the vice chancellor of a Jamia Millia Islamia, a central university in Delhi, between 2009 and 2013.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Sh Jung&#39;s resignation is a surprise to me. My best wishes in all his future endeavours.
&mdash; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/811903193781190656">December 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The Delhi government and Jung were embroiled in a running power struggle, with the former accusing him of being a front for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre.

Opposition Congress called on the Centre to explain why Jung was&nbsp;&quot;unceremoniously removed and whether it was done to bring someone to the top administrative post who is ideologically close to the RSS.&quot;&nbsp;

While the BJP was cautious after the announcement was made.

Jung, a former civil officer&nbsp;from the Madhya Pradesh cadre, became the Lieutenant Governor on July 9, 2013&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from PTI)

The L-G's offer to step down comes amid protracted hostility between him and the Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung has submitted his resignation, after months of hot exchange between him and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Jung would be returning to his "first love" which is academics, Indian news agency ANI quoted the governor's office as saying. The sixty-five-year-old thanked Kejriwal and the people of Delhi "for all their support and affection" which allowed him to run the administration in Delhi "smoothly and effortlessly". He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his help and cooperation and Arvind Kejriwal for his "association". Sources close to Jung told the Press Trust of India, that his resignation had nothing to do with the bitter relationship he shared with the Kejriwal government and that he had been planning to quit for months. "His decision to quit was not at all related to his relationship with the AAP government. It was purely a personal decision which he was mulling over for quite some time," the source said. Jung was the vice chancellor of a Jamia Millia Islamia, a central university in Delhi, between 2009 and 2013. Sh Jung's resignation is a surprise to me. My best wishes in all his future endeavours. — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 22, 2016 × The Delhi government and Jung were embroiled in a running power struggle, with the former accusing him of being a front for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre. Opposition Congress called on the Centre to explain why Jung was "unceremoniously removed and whether it was done to bring someone to the top administrative post who is ideologically close to the RSS." While the BJP was cautious after the announcement was made. Jung, a former civil officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre, became the Lieutenant Governor on July 9, 2013 (WION with inputs from PTI)

Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung submits his resignation

Essel Group chairman and Rajya Sabha member&nbsp;<a href="http://zeenews.india.com/tags/dr-subhash-chandra.html">Dr Subhash Chandra</a>&nbsp;on Thursday filed a&nbsp;<a href="http://zeenews.india.com/tags/criminal-defamation-case.html">criminal defamation case</a>&nbsp;against Delhi Chief Minister&nbsp;<a href="http://zeenews.india.com/tags/arvind-kejriwal.html">Arvind Kejriwal</a>&nbsp;in a Delhi court.

Kejriwal, who leads the Aam Aadmi Party, had recently mentioned the name of Dr Chandra while referring to those who have allegedly amassed black money.

The case was filed in the Patiala House Court in&nbsp;New Delhi.

If found guilty, Kejriwal can be imprisoned for two years.

Notably,&nbsp;<a href="http://zeenews.india.com/news/videos/top-stories/note-ban-dr-subhash-chandra-appeals-to-people-for-patience-and-time_1949360.html" target="_blank">Dr</a><a href="http://zeenews.india.com/news/videos/top-stories/note-ban-dr-subhash-chandra-appeals-to-people-for-patience-and-time_1949360.html" target="_blank">&nbsp;Subhash Chandra&nbsp;</a>has backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s war on black money.

When the demonetisation move was announced, he had said: &ldquo;My humble submission to whosoever is listening to this is to support him (PM Modi). This is a good thing for all of us, particularly the common man. Maybe big people like me will hate, but I ask them also, let us stop this. Let us be clean. Let us enjoy the money we earn, because the enjoyment can be only if you make legitimate money. Our military give their lives for the country, why can&#39;t we give him the 50 days that he has asked for. In fact, I am willing to give 500 days. Of course, even today I am very happy because we had no issue of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes in our group.&rdquo;

(Zee News)

Rajya Sabha member?Dr Subhash Chandra moved the court after Kejriwal accused him of amassing black money

Essel Group chairman and Rajya Sabha member Dr Subhash Chandra on Thursday filed a criminal defamation case against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a Delhi court. Kejriwal, who leads the Aam Aadmi Party, had recently mentioned the name of Dr Chandra while referring to those who have allegedly amassed black money. The case was filed in the Patiala House Court in New Delhi. If found guilty, Kejriwal can be imprisoned for two years. Notably, Dr Subhash Chandra has backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s war on black money. When the demonetisation move was announced, he had said: “My humble submission to whosoever is listening to this is to support him (PM Modi). This is a good thing for all of us, particularly the common man. Maybe big people like me will hate, but I ask them also, let us stop this. Let us be clean. Let us enjoy the money we earn, because the enjoyment can be only if you make legitimate money. Our military give their lives for the country, why can't we give him the 50 days that he has asked for. In fact, I am willing to give 500 days. Of course, even today I am very happy because we had no issue of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes in our group.” (Zee News)

Dr Subhash Chandra files criminal defamation case against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

After two chief ministers threatened to hold protest and demanded the roll back of demonetisation, Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley dug his heels, slamming the two for spreading &quot;unnecessary panic&quot;.

Jaitley ruled out the roll back of the decision to scrap RS 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes from the Indian economy. He expressed confidence in the move, saying the high value notes was &quot;very well planned&quot;.&nbsp;

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee today held a protest in the capital in front of the Rserve Bank of India and gave the government a three-day ultimatum to roll back the decision.&nbsp;

Defending the government&#39;s move to fight the menace of black money, Jaitley said he expected every responsible citizen, political party, state governments to support the huge effort as it will only benefit the economy in the long run.&nbsp;

He added that the greatest beneficiaries of the move will be the people who will have greater access to banking, taxation quantum, and more banking support in terms of trade.&nbsp;

&quot;Now unnecessary panic is being spread particularly by some individuals and I didn&#39;t expect chief ministers of one or two states to join in this effort,&quot; Jaitley told ANI.

The government questioned the &quot;vested interest&quot; of the opposition parties in the Parliament. Jaitley said the opposition had developed &quot;cold feet&quot; to debate the issue of demonetisation and criticised Congress leaders for making irresponsible comments.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Dismissing the possibility of a roll back, Jaitley questioned the intent of the ministers in opposing govt's effort to root out black money

After two chief ministers threatened to hold protest and demanded the roll back of demonetisation, Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley dug his heels, slamming the two for spreading "unnecessary panic". Jaitley ruled out the roll back of the decision to scrap RS 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes from the Indian economy. He expressed confidence in the move, saying the high value notes was "very well planned". Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee today held a protest in the capital in front of the Rserve Bank of India and gave the government a three-day ultimatum to roll back the decision. Defending the government's move to fight the menace of black money, Jaitley said he expected every responsible citizen, political party, state governments to support the huge effort as it will only benefit the economy in the long run. He added that the greatest beneficiaries of the move will be the people who will have greater access to banking, taxation quantum, and more banking support in terms of trade. "Now unnecessary panic is being spread particularly by some individuals and I didn't expect chief ministers of one or two states to join in this effort," Jaitley told ANI. The government questioned the "vested interest" of the opposition parties in the Parliament. Jaitley said the opposition had developed "cold feet" to debate the issue of demonetisation and criticised Congress leaders for making irresponsible comments. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Chief ministers spreading unnecessary panic over demonetisation, says Indian finance minister

New Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will tomorrow hold a meeting with farmers, traders and labourers in the city in the wake of the Centre&#39;s demonetisation move.

&quot;Public meeting against demonetisation at 11 am at Azadpur Mandi tomorrow. People who are facing problems due to demonetisation reach there,&quot; he tweeted.

Delhi labour minister Gopal Rai also said a meeting focusing on the scrapping of Rs 500 and 1,000 notes will be held with traders, farmers and labourers.

The move comes a day after Kejriwal urged Indian President Pranab Mukherjee to direct the Centre to withdraw the demonetisation move while demanding a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the scrapping of high currency notes.

Kejriwal, who yesterday moved a resolution against the Centre&#39;s decision, had termed&nbsp;demonetisation as &quot;fraud&quot; on the nation, aimed at benefiting a &quot;particular political party&quot;, a veiled reference to India&#39;s ruling party BJP.

(PTI)

The move comes a day after Kejriwal urged Indian President Pranab Mukherjee to direct the Centre to withdraw demonetisation altogether

New Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will tomorrow hold a meeting with farmers, traders and labourers in the city in the wake of the Centre's demonetisation move. "Public meeting against demonetisation at 11 am at Azadpur Mandi tomorrow. People who are facing problems due to demonetisation reach there," he tweeted. Delhi labour minister Gopal Rai also said a meeting focusing on the scrapping of Rs 500 and 1,000 notes will be held with traders, farmers and labourers. The move comes a day after Kejriwal urged Indian President Pranab Mukherjee to direct the Centre to withdraw the demonetisation move while demanding a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the scrapping of high currency notes. Kejriwal, who yesterday moved a resolution against the Centre's decision, had termed demonetisation as "fraud" on the nation, aimed at benefiting a "particular political party", a veiled reference to India's ruling party BJP. (PTI)

Demonetisation: Delhi chief minister to hold meeting with farmers, traders

Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of India&#39;s Delhi, today demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the demonetisation scheme, terming it as a &quot;fraud&quot; aimed at benefiting a &quot;particular political party&quot;, a veiled reference to BJP.

Kejriwal tabled a resolution in the Delhi Assembly in this regard during its one-day emergency session. The resolution, which will be discussed in the AAP-dominated House, also urges Indian President Pranab Mukherjee to direct the Centre to withdraw the measure.

The emergency session, convened to deliberate on the issues arising out of ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, began on a stormy note and had to be adjourned for 15 minutes soon after Kejriwal tabled the resolution, amid sloganeering against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by AAP MLAs.

Participating in the discussion, AAP&#39;s Okhla MLA Amanatulalh Khan said that Modi will not understand the pain being faced by families due to demonetisation as &quot;he does not have a wife or children&quot;.

Protesting Khan&#39;s remark, Leader of the Opposition Vijender Gupta made certain personal allegations relating to Kejriwal, enraging the AAP MLAs, some of whom came into the well of the House forcing an adjournment.

Earlier, the members also observed a two-minute silence to pay homage to those who lost lives while standing in queues outsides banks and ATMs to withdraw money. Gupta and BJP MLA Jagdish Pradhan walked out protesting against it.

&quot;Resolves to urge upon the President of India to direct the Government of India to withdraw at once the draconian demonetisation scheme and to take necessary steps to institute a high-level probe to be monitored by Supreme Court of India to look into the allegations that the scheme is a fraud on the nation and that it has been launched to benefit a particular political party through its agents in black money market,&quot; the resolution moved by Kejriwal said.

(PTI)

The Indian government last Tuesday announced the withdrawal of higher denomination notes from circulation

Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of India's Delhi, today demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the demonetisation scheme, terming it as a "fraud" aimed at benefiting a "particular political party", a veiled reference to BJP. Kejriwal tabled a resolution in the Delhi Assembly in this regard during its one-day emergency session. The resolution, which will be discussed in the AAP-dominated House, also urges Indian President Pranab Mukherjee to direct the Centre to withdraw the measure. The emergency session, convened to deliberate on the issues arising out of ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, began on a stormy note and had to be adjourned for 15 minutes soon after Kejriwal tabled the resolution, amid sloganeering against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by AAP MLAs. Participating in the discussion, AAP's Okhla MLA Amanatulalh Khan said that Modi will not understand the pain being faced by families due to demonetisation as "he does not have a wife or children". Protesting Khan's remark, Leader of the Opposition Vijender Gupta made certain personal allegations relating to Kejriwal, enraging the AAP MLAs, some of whom came into the well of the House forcing an adjournment. Earlier, the members also observed a two-minute silence to pay homage to those who lost lives while standing in queues outsides banks and ATMs to withdraw money. Gupta and BJP MLA Jagdish Pradhan walked out protesting against it. "Resolves to urge upon the President of India to direct the Government of India to withdraw at once the draconian demonetisation scheme and to take necessary steps to institute a high-level probe to be monitored by Supreme Court of India to look into the allegations that the scheme is a fraud on the nation and that it has been launched to benefit a particular political party through its agents in black money market," the resolution moved by Kejriwal said. (PTI)

India: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal demands Supreme Court probe into demonetisation

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been a strong critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday lashed out at the federal government&#39;s decision to replace Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes.

Kejriwal also doubted the government&#39;s intention, saying they have &quot;deliberately created a crisis situation&quot; for the people in the country.

The 48-year-old chief minister demanded that the demonetisation plan is withdrawn as it was only causing &quot;chaos everywhere&quot;.

Questioning&nbsp;the logic behind the plan, he said: &quot;Black money won&#39;t come back... it will only change hands. Modi&#39;s surgical strike is not against black money, it is only against the common man.&quot;

The chief minister also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is the ruling party in India, of having informed their &quot;friends&quot;&nbsp;about their plan to demonetise the high-value notes so that they could get rid of it clandestinely.

&quot;Before the PM announced the move on Tuesday, the BJP and its friends had been alerted and they had already stashed their cash,&quot; he said.

The federal government scrapped the banknotes overnight to give no time to people who had hidden away their black money. The government had defended their move saying it was done to curb corruption and the black money economy.

Some political observers feel that there might be a poltical reason behind this. They believe that the federal government did this just before the elections in a few Indian states because they feared regional poltical parties of stockpiling campaign cash.

The last time an Indian government tried to demonetise its currency was in January 1978. That time, they&nbsp;had recalled Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 notes.

(WION)

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Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal insisted that the new plan would do little to tackle the problem of black money in the country

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been a strong critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday lashed out at the federal government's decision to replace Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes. Kejriwal also doubted the government's intention, saying they have "deliberately created a crisis situation" for the people in the country. The 48-year-old chief minister demanded that the demonetisation plan is withdrawn as it was only causing "chaos everywhere". Questioning the logic behind the plan, he said: "Black money won't come back... it will only change hands. Modi's surgical strike is not against black money, it is only against the common man." The chief minister also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is the ruling party in India, of having informed their "friends" about their plan to demonetise the high-value notes so that they could get rid of it clandestinely. "Before the PM announced the move on Tuesday, the BJP and its friends had been alerted and they had already stashed their cash," he said. The federal government scrapped the banknotes overnight to give no time to people who had hidden away their black money. The government had defended their move saying it was done to curb corruption and the black money economy. Some political observers feel that there might be a poltical reason behind this. They believe that the federal government did this just before the elections in a few Indian states because they feared regional poltical parties of stockpiling campaign cash. The last time an Indian government tried to demonetise its currency was in January 1978. That time, they had recalled Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 notes. (WION)

Rupee demonetisation a surgical strike against common man: Kejriwal

The last rites of ex-Indian Army soldier, Ram Kishan Grewal, who committed suicide over the One Rank One Pension (OROP) issue on Wednesday, were performed today in his native village in Bhiwani city of northern Haryana state.&nbsp;

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Opposition leader and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi attended the cremation along with other senior party leaders, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Kamal Nath, Kiran Choudhry and Shailaja, attended the cremation, Indian daily DNA reported.&nbsp;

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Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was also present during the ceremony, announced Rs 1 crore (USD 160, 000) for the deceased&#39;s family.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FLASH?src=hash">#FLASH</a> Rs.1 crore to be granted to the kin of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RamkishanGrewal?src=hash">#RamkishanGrewal</a> by Delhi Government.
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/794079077170810880">November 3, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Aam Admi Party (AAP) chief Kejriwal targeted the Narendra Modi government &nbsp;saying that the pride, which led down the formerly ruling Congress party, will work the same way with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

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Grewal&#39;s suicide triggered a political row yesterday as Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal, along with other senior political leaders, were detained in the the capital of India, Delhi, when they tried to meet Grewal&#39;s family.&nbsp;

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(WION)&nbsp;

Ram Kishan Grewal's suicide has triggered a political row as opposition leaders attack the Narendra Modi government over the OROP scheme

The last rites of ex-Indian Army soldier, Ram Kishan Grewal, who committed suicide over the One Rank One Pension (OROP) issue on Wednesday, were performed today in his native village in Bhiwani city of northern Haryana state. Opposition leader and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi attended the cremation along with other senior party leaders, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Kamal Nath, Kiran Choudhry and Shailaja, attended the cremation, Indian daily DNA reported. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was also present during the ceremony, announced Rs 1 crore (USD 160, 000) for the deceased's family. #FLASH Rs.1 crore to be granted to the kin of #RamkishanGrewal by Delhi Government. — ANI (@ANI_news) November 3, 2016 × Aam Admi Party (AAP) chief Kejriwal targeted the Narendra Modi government saying that the pride, which led down the formerly ruling Congress party, will work the same way with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Grewal's suicide triggered a political row yesterday as Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal, along with other senior political leaders, were detained in the the capital of India, Delhi, when they tried to meet Grewal's family. (WION)

Indian ex-serviceman suicide: Delhi chief minister announces Rs 1 crore for deceased's family

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