Tag: AAP

Gujarat: 8 AAP workers held for putting up anti-Modi posters

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Ahmedabad: Eight workers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have been arrested for allegedly putting up posters saying “Modi Hatao Desh Bachao” in different parts of Ahmedabad city in Gujarat, police said on Friday.
The Gujarat unit of AAP condemned the arrests saying the action has proved their point that “democracy is in danger”.
In a release, the city crime branch said eight persons have been arrested on the charge of damaging public property by putting up posters with the text “Modi Hatao Desh Bachao” in areas like Isanpur, Maninagar, Vatva, Narol and Vadaj. The posters were put up by the AAP workers on Thursday, it said.
The arrests were made on Thursday night after the registration of first information reports (FIRs) in different police stations earlier in the day, said the release.
Police have identified the AAP workers as Natwar Thakor, Jatin Patel, Kuldeep Bhatt, Bipin Sharma, Ajay Chauhan, Arvind Chauhan, Jivan Maheshwari and Paresh Tulsiani.
AAP’s Gujarat vice president Sagar Rabari said though the party posted such posters in many other states on Thursday, only Gujarat police booked their workers.
“Ahmedabad is the only city where people are deprived of their Constitutional rights because police can arrest you anytime and book you as per their whims and fancies. This police action proves that our apprehension that democracy is in danger is not misplaced and we were not wrong in carrying out that poster drive,” said Rabari.
In last year’s Gujarat Assembly elections, AAP won five seats and secured 13 per cent of the popular vote, in a performance that belied its high-decibel campaign in the state. BJP registered a record 156 wins in the house of 182 seats.

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#Gujarat #AAP #workers #held #putting #antiModi #posters
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 31, 2023
AAP launches poster campaign against Modi in Kolkata, wants to go it alone

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Kolkata: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday launched a poster campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi “Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao” in West Bengal, party spokesperson in the state Arnab Maitra said.
The AAP leader stressing his party planned to “go it alone” in national elections to be held next year, said that it would not join hands with any political party in organising the campaign.
The poster campaign is being launched on Thursday across the country and has already been dismissed by the BJP which feels Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity will see him through any such campaign.
“Going by the situation in the country, we must do something to remove Modi to save democracy. From today, we will start a poster campaigning on “Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao” all over the state. Slowly we will go to the districts and then the blocks and display the posters everywhere. We will continue this till Modi is removed from the chair,” Maitra told reporters here.
“Today, the constitution of the country is being torn apart, and efforts are being made to suppress the voices of the opposition by framing false cases. This campaign will continue till next year’s general elections,” he added.
AAP has a token presence in the state as of now. mostly localised in Kolkata city, say analysts. However, the party has been trying to enter the politica; space in Bengal for the last few years.
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#AAP #launches #poster #campaign #Modi #Kolkata
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 30, 2023
AAP releases its Karnataka assembly poll manifesto in Bengaluru

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New Delhi: The AAP on Wednesday released its manifesto for Karnataka polls giving 10 guarantees, which included 300 units of free electricity per month, 80 percent reservation to locals in jobs, and 33 percent reservation to women in government jobs if voted to power.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led party, which is gearing up to contest all seats in Karnataka assembly polls, also promised that it will generate 2 lakh jobs every year and fill up all the vacant posts, with preference to regularisation of contractual staff.
Kannada proficiency will be made mandatory for the state government jobs if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is voted to power, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, releasing the party manifesto at a press conference in Bengaluru, a few hours after the Election Commission announced Karnataka assembly polls schedule.
“It’s not just a poll manifesto, it’s a list of 10 guarantees which we will fulfil as we did in Delhi and Punjab,” Singh said.
The AAP’s Karnataka unit convener Prithvi Reddy and other office bearers from the state were present at the press conference.
If voted to power, AAP will make government schools better than the private schools, set up a committee to fix and regulate private schools fees, and regularise jobs of contractual teachers in the state, Singh said.
“Students of the state will be provided with free city bus transport facility,” he added.
For students who pass Class 12, a programme will be rolled out to give them a six month-long employability training with a Rs 5,000-per month stipend, Singh said.

“Voting age for the local body elections will be lowered to 16 years,” he added.
The AAP will provide 33 per cent reservation in the state government jobs to women and also free city bus rides to them, Singh said.
Every below poverty line woman above 18 years will get Rs 1,000 per month as “empowerment allowance.”
“The farm laws will be repealed. MSP will be provided based on the Swaminathan committee report. Guaranteed 12-hour free power will be provided for farming,” the AAP leader said.
“While old age pension will be increased from Rs 400 to 1,500 per month, widow pension will be increased from 800 to 2,000 plus Rs 500 per dependent child per month. Minor disability pension will be increased from Rs 600 to Rs 1,500 per month. Major disability pension will be increased from Rs 1,400 to Rs 2,500 per month,” he added.
Free health care services from medicines to surgeries, establishment of Delhi-model mohalla clinics in every locality and panchayat, and doorstep delivery of ration and government services were some of the other promises made by the party, according to its manifesto.
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#AAP #releases #Karnataka #assembly #poll #manifesto #Bengaluru
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 29, 2023
Naveen Paliwal takes charge as AAP president in Rajasthan

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Jaipur: Newly appointed president of the Aam Aadmi Party in Rajasthan Naveen Paliwal Saturday said the party is fighting a battle to change the system and save democracy.
He said AAP will contest the assembly elections with all its might and on coming to power, will provide the people of the state all the facilities that are enjoyed by the public in Punjab and Delhi.
Paliwal was talking to reporters after taking over as the state president of AAP. He expressed his gratitude to the party leadership for entrusting him the responsibility.
Rajasthan election in-charge of AAP Vinay Mishra said the party will fight the elections on the issues of education, health, water, electricity, women’s safety, welfare of the unemployed and farmers, and will defeat both the Congress and the BJP.
He said only Arvind Kejriwal can fight against Narendra Modi to save democracy.
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#Naveen #Paliwal #takes #charge #AAP #president #Rajasthan

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 25, 2023
Delhi LG asks AAP govt to send names for labour welfare board, or explain why it can’t

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New Delhi: In yet another flashpoint between the two, Delhi LG VK Saxena has asked the AAP government to reconstitute the Labour Welfare Board appointing suitable members or communicate opinion on the matter so that it could be referred to the President, sources said.
No immediate reaction could be had from the AAP on the matter.
The LG and AAP government have had many rows in the past several months including the one over probes ordered by Saxena on complaints of corruption and the issue of sending teachers for training to Finland.
The labour welfare body remains without an executive board even after two years due to an impasse over eligibility criteria for appointment of the members.
“The LG has asked for the Board to be constituted with members who have domain expertise in labour welfare or send the file to him for expressing difference of opinion,” sources at LG office said.
The AAP government sat on a file meant for re-constitution of the Delhi Labour Welfare Board (DLWB) for more than 14 months, between June, 2021 and September, 2022 and finally sent the proposal with names for approval of the Lt Governor on September 12, 2022, they claimed.
The names proposed by the then labour minister, Manish Sisodia, and approved by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were not as per the criteria for selection of such members, sources at LG Office said.
The members nominated to the Board, instead of being domain experts in labour welfare, were picked from among vaccination camp organisers, RWA presidents and individuals distributing food during Covid pandemic, they claimed.

The Lt Governor returned the file to the Chief Minister on November 21, 2022, with observations advising the Labour department to submit a panel of names for appointment after a thorough background check on their suitability and experience in related fields.
“Members of this Board perform important functions of welfare of labourers and therefore, it is important that such members must possess sufficient experience in the field of labour welfare.
“Such nominated members must demonstrate skill and expertise which reveal their capabilities to contribute to the cause of labour welfare,” the LG had observed.
In the proposed list, most of the nominees, especially nine of the 17 do not have appropriate experience or domain knowledge to effectively contribute for welfare activities and also it is difficult to ascertain if nominations of others are commensurate with the spirit of the law, the LG said in a note.
He had also suggested creation of a search committee for appointment of the members.
In its reply, the Delhi government submitted the file back on January 7, 2023, asking the LG to either agree to the names suggested by it or invoke difference of opinion as prescribed under Article 239AA(4) and Rule 49 and 50 of the Transaction of Business Rules, claimed the sources.
The LG office again returned the file to the Chief Minister’s office, on February 9, 2023, noting that in case the Chief Minister had different views on the issue, the matter may be referred to the Council of Ministers for its consideration.
He also expressed disagreement with the Labour Minister’s view, approved by the CM, that in the absence of any prescribed qualification for the members, the proposal of the government must be agreed upon.
The file was again submitted to the LG on February 22 this year, with the observation that as per amended Rule 49 of ToBR the issue was discussed by the LG with the Labour minister within a statutory time limit of 15 days.
“Thus, this case is legally time barred for Hon’ble LG to express any difference of opinion,” read the CM’s note .
The file has once again been returned to the CMO for the matter to be brought before the Council of Ministers, if the CM and the Labour minister do not agree with the LG over the issue, sources added.
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#Delhi #asks #AAP #govt #send #names #labour #welfare #board #explain
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 25, 2023
Punjab Cong chief comes down heavily on AAP govt over Amritpal Singh issue

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In a statement, he said people’s trust and confidence in the state government was at its lowest ebb ever in history.
“It won’t be any exaggeration that Bhagwant Mann is spearheading the most inept state government in the country which hurtles towards a new embarrassment every new day,” Warring said, adding that the absence of governance in Punjab is a matter of concern for every Punjabi.
He said there are tell tale signs that the state government’s intelligence failed miserably in catching the Khalistan sympathiser even after such ‘meticulous’ planning as is being claimed by the state government.
Notably, the Punjab Police on Wednesday reiterated that they are making all-out efforts to trace Amritpal against whom a lookout circular and a non-bailable warrant had been issued.
“Our efforts are on to arrest him,” he said.
After the police crackdown against elements of ‘Waris Punjab De’ on Saturday, the Khalistan sympathiser switched from Mercedes car to Brezza SUV and later went to a gurdwara in Nangal Ambian village in Jalandhar from where he escaped along with three others on two bikes.
Warring also wrote to Punjab’s Director General of Police, saying he had earlier too written two letters drawing attention to the “growing concern of Punjabis regarding the Amritpal Singh issue and about him getting emboldened with every passing day”.
“I am very sure if you would have cautioned the Punjab government on the urgency of the matter and had the government been serious about the damage he was inflicting on the law and order situation by misguiding the youth of Punjab, the present-day situation could have been avoided.

“..I have always been appreciative of the capabilities of Punjab Police under your able leadership as Director General, but I am dumb struck and aghast at the failure of the Punjab Police.
“I am sure that Amritpal must have been under police surveillance for his anti national activities for quite some time. As per the information in public domain, he is said to have escaped by switching vehicles and changing dresses..,” the letter stated.
Warring mentioned that to allegedly cover up this failure of Punjab Police to nab Amritpal Singh, the police is rounding up a large number of youths who are branded as associates of Waris Punjab De chief.
“No doubt some young boys must have been misguided by his religious sermons, yet I feel that branding them as hardcore anti-national elements will further alienate these young people from mainstream and may push them to become hardliners, which Punjab can ill afford at this juncture.
“We do not support any leniency towards anti-national elements or criminals, but a soft approach is needed to bring these misguided youth back into the mainstream and rehabilitate them,” he added.
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#Punjab #Cong #chief #heavily #AAP #govt #Amritpal #Singh #issue
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 23, 2023
AAP to launch ‘Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao’ campaign with eye on LS polls

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New Delhi: Sounding the poll bugle for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Aam Aadmi Party said it will kickstart a ‘Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao’ (Remove Modi, Save the Nation) campaign from the Jantar Mantar here on Thursday.
The party will hold a public meeting which will be attended by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann, AAP leader and city Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday.
“Party workers and supporters from all over the country will gather for the meeting to be held on the martyrdom day of the country’s great freedom fighters Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. Aam Aadmi Party will start a ‘Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao’ campaign during this meeting,” Rai said at a press conference.
The announcement comes a day after posters reading “Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao” appeared on walls and electricity poles across the national capital. With the Delhi Police arresting six people and registering 49 FIRs in connection with the posters, Rai said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scared.
“The prime minister is getting scared because of slogans like ‘Remove Modi, Save the Country’ being written on walls. Now the voice of the people of the country will not be suppressed by FIRs and arrests by police,” he said.
Rai said the country was facing grave danger. “The country got a Constitution, democracy, parliamentary system, Election Commission, independent agencies and a judiciary after a long struggle by freedom fighters. But after 75 years of independence, the freedom, democracy and the Constitution, which were achieved on the strength of those freedom fighters, are facing danger. Undeclared dictatorship has been implemented in this country,” he said.
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#AAP #launch #Modi #Hatao #Desh #Bachao #campaign #eye #polls

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 22, 2023
Delhi: AAP govt allocates Rs 16,575 crore for education sector

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New Delhi: The Delhi government will provide new tablets to all teachers, principals and vice-principals, besides setting up new computers in 350 schools in the national capital in 2023-24.
The Delhi Budget presented by Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot on Wednesday allocated Rs 16,575 crore for the education department for the year 2023-24.
In the 2022-23 Delhi Budget, the education sector received the highest allocation of Rs 16,278 crore.
Providing 20 new computers to each of the 350 schools under the Delhi government and teaching of French, German, Japanese and Spanish languages in Schools of Specialised Excellence are the highlights of Delhi’s budget for the education sector.
The minister said more branches of the Ambedkar Schools of Specialised Education will come up in 2023. In 2021, there were 20 schools of specialised education, which will be increased to 37 in 2023.
Gahlot also announced that schools and industries will collaborate to develop professional skills for children at Schools of Applied Learning.
According to the Delhi government, around 56 students of the first batch of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Curriculum got direct admissions in the top seven universities of Delhi in courses such as BBA and B.Tech.
The first batch of Delhi’s Model Virtual School got students from 14 different states across the nation, the minister said.

He further said that in the past eight years, 1,410 teachers, principals and educators were sent to Finland, Singapore and Cambridge by the Delhi government, 1,247 principals received training in IIM Ahmedabad and 61 principals in IIM Lucknow.
State-of-the-art sports complexes have been developed in the last five years, including the International Sports Complex in Kair (Najafgarh), Mundhela Sports Complex and the Pehladpur Sports Complex, Gahlot said.
Projects in the pipeline include a wrestling hostel and relaying of synthetic tracks at the Chhatrasal Stadium, upgrading the Rajiv Gandhi stadium and construction of a squash centre at the Thyagraj stadium, the minister said.
He added that there are plans to develop a multipurpose sports complex at Samaspur Khalsa in Najafgarh for which 35 acres of land have already been allocated.
The government has disbursed an amount of Rs 110 crore to more than 9,000 players in the last eight years, the minister said.
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#Delhi #AAP #govt #allocates #crore #education #sector
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 22, 2023
VHP lauds AAP govt in Punjab, Centre for ‘willpower’ against Amritpal

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New Delhi: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Tuesday praised the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab as well as the Centre for investigation against punjab-de”>Waris Punjab De leader Amritpal Singh.
At a celebration of the Hindu New Year, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Working President Alok Kumar said the Punjab government had shown “willpower and determination” in action against Amritpal Singh and his aides.
“In the past two days, the willpower and determination showed by Punjab, and the way the Centre and Punjab have together taken those challenging India’s integrity head-on, it is something to celebrate. Some people have started running businesses in the name of Khalistan, this should be banned immediately,” said VHP’s President Kumar.
“The best thing in this matter is that the people of Punjab are no longer with any kind of extremism, efforts should be made to stop any kind of extremism to them,” he added.
Criticising the abroad protests and attacks on Indian missions in the UK by alleged pro-Khalistan elements, Alok Kumar lauded the Centre for registering its protest with London over it.
He said, “At present, the country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an Indian and a proud Hindu. At this time we all have to come together and agree that the nation’s issues cannot be issues of dispute. All parties must come together and take a stand as one on the issue of the new business of Khalistan in Canada and the UK.”
VHP general secretary Milind Parande, who also addressed the gathering, said, “Given the “conducive” environment for Hindutva, the organisation had made significant expansion. It had made significant expansion, growing by “100% in the past year”.
Parande said the VHP had reached 1.33 lakh villages while 72 lakh people had joined it.

VHP international joint general secretary Surendra Jain said, “It is a well-known fact that the Hindu community is currently representing every evolutionary region of the world, that is why some people are making objectionable comments on Hindu religion, Hindu scriptures and Hindu great men.”
He said that even these people themselves know that they are fighting a losing battle.
Recently, intensifying his attack on Rahul Gandhi for his criticism of Indian democracy in London, Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda said the leader whose party is being rejected by the public is saying that democracy is “under attack”.
Nadda also stated, “It’s unfortunate that the Congress party is indulging in anti-national activities. After being repeatedly rejected by the nation, Rahul Gandhi has now become a permanent part of this anti-nationalist toolkit.”
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#VHP #lauds #AAP #govt #Punjab #Centre #willpower #Amritpal
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 22, 2023
Presentation of Delhi budget put on hold, Centre and AAP govt trade charges

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New Delhi: The presentation of the Delhi government’s budget for 2023-24, scheduled for Tuesday, has been put on hold, with the Arvind Kejriwal dispensation and the central government trading charges over allocations in various heads.
Speaking at a News 18 programme on Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal charged that the Centre was resorting to “gundagardi” and that it was for the first time in the history of the country that a budget of a government was put on hold. A video clip of his speech was tweeted by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Sources in the Delhi government said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has stopped the Kejriwal government’s budget and it will not be tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday.
As the chief minister lashed out at the Centre, sources in the MHA said the ministry has sought clarification from the AAP government as its budget proposal had high allocation for advertisement and relatively low funding for infrastructure and other development initiatives.
Delhi Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot denied the charges as lies. The total budget size was Rs 78,800 crore, out of which 22,000 crore was earmarked for expenditure on infrastructure and just Rs 550 crore on advertisements, he said.
The allocation for advertisement was the same as in last year’s budget, he added.
In a statement, the MHA said, “The Lieutenant Governor, Delhi, had raised certain concerns of administrative nature on the proposed Budget, keeping in view the fiscal interest of the National Capital Territory on which MHA vide its letter dated 17.03.2023 has requested GNCTD to resubmit the Budget addressing these concerns for taking further action. The reply from GNCTD is awaited for last four days. For the benefit of the people of Delhi, the GNCTD should submit reply immediately.”
In a separate statement, Gahlot said, “It is now learned that the MHA expressed some concerns on Delhi government’s budget and refused to give it approval through a letter sent to the Chief Secretary on 17 March. For mysterious reasons, the Chief Secretary of Delhi kept the letter hidden for 3 days.”

“I learned about the letter only at 2 pm today… The file with MHA’s letter was put up to me officially only at 6pm today i.e. just the day before the budget was to be presented in Delhi Assembly. Subsequently, we have responded to MHA’s concerns and submitted the file back to Delhi’s LG, after CM’s approval, at 9pm today. The role of the Chief Secretary and Finance Secretary of Delhi in delaying Delhi’s budget ought to be investigated,” he said.
A source in the LG office said, “The file was received in LG Sectt at 9:25 PM and was sent back to the Chief Minister at 10:05 PM, after approval of LG, for further action as per law.”
Delhi government sources said that the finance secretary will write to the MHA on Tuesday for its approval and the budget will be tabled after its nod. They said budget will not be tabled on Tuesday.
According to sources in the lieutenant governor’s office, LG V K Saxena approved the Annual Financial Statement for 2023-2024, with certain observations on March 9, and sent the file to the chief minister.
The Government of Delhi, thereafter, sought the approval of the President as mandated by law by sending a letter to the Home Ministry.
The Home Ministry conveyed its observations to the Delhi government on March 17. The LG office is awaiting for the file to be sent to it from the chief minister.
According to LG office sources, Saxena flagged that “as against proposed Budget size of Rs 78,800 crore, the expenditure on Capital components is indicated at Rs 21,816 crore, which is only 27.68%…. Further, this also includes Rs 5,586.92 crore on account of loan repayment, which, if excluded will further reduce the Capital component to Rs 16,230 crore which is only 20% of the budget.”
“Since Delhi is the country’s capital and also a large metropolis in which need for creation and improvements of infrastructure is extremely important, the allocation for Capital projects does not appear to be sufficient,” the LG said.
“It is noted that expenditure incurred by the Directorate of Information & Publicity as per the Revised Estimate 2022-23 is Rs 272.21 crore against the Budget Estimate of Rs 511.64 crore. However, the allocation for the Budget Estimate 2023-24 is Rs. 557.24 crore, which seems incomprehensible and unjustifiable,” he further said.
He claimed that the entire potential under various central schemes has not been fully utilised by Delhi.
“A case in example, the flagship scheme of Ayushman Bharat’, has not yet been adopted by Delhi due to which CSS funds under health sector are not made available. The Union Territory needs to obtain all possible funds under Central Schemes to augment its resources and also to meet national goals,” he said.
There was no clarity yet on when the budget will be presented in the Assembly. The ongoing budget session of the Assembly is scheduled to conclude on March 23.
Delhi Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot on Monday tabled an outcome budget of the Kejriwal government and the economic survey, 2022-23.
Earlier in the day, the Assembly was adjourned till 11 am on Tuesday.
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#Presentation #Delhi #budget #put #hold #Centre #AAP #govt #trade #charges
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 20, 2023