The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has requested the Rajya Sabha secretariat to remove Raghav Chadha as the party's deputy leader in the House, proposing Punjab MP Ashok Mittal as his replacement, amidst Chadha's absence from key party events and prolonged silence on AAP matters.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has condemned the recent blasts in Amritsar and Jalandhar, calling them a deliberate attempt to spread terror and disrupt the state's peace. He accused the BJP of trying to create an atmosphere of fear and division for political gains ahead of elections.
After a long absence from the public stage, after being routed in the Delhi assembly election in February, Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal launched the Ghar Rozgar Bachao Andolan (Save homes, jobs movement) at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday with a protest against the ongoing demolition drives in slum clusters in the city.
Mamata Banerjee, the outgoing Chief Minister of West Bengal, has refused to step down after her party's defeat in the assembly elections, alleging a conspiracy and irregularities in the counting process. She also accused the Election Commission of working in favour of the BJP and announced a fact-finding committee to investigate post-poll violence.
Arvind Kejriwal, social activist and founder member of the India Against Corruption, tells Sreelatha Menon their biggest mistake was not to give room to other issues and voices when support for the movement against corruption was at its peak.
CPI(M) leaders have strongly criticised the ED raids on former Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and others, alleging political motivation and a conspiracy by the BJP and Congress. They claim the raids are an attempt to intimidate the party and its leaders, and have vowed to fight back against what they see as a politically fabricated case.
'We have used Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party as characters in the story of Indian democracy.'
'Delhi voters have liked the politics of performance over noisy rhetoric and empty promises,' points out Vijaya Pushkarna.
Says that the minister has a conflict of interest because his son has been a counsel for Vodafone.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held protests across Punjab against the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) action against state minister Sanjeev Arora, accusing the central government of misusing agencies against its leaders. The BJP criticised the AAP workers' behaviour during the protests.
The resurrection of AAP has a lot of similarity with BJP's revival
'Even if this Bill passes in Parliament, it will reasonably face judicial scrutiny. 'One can reasonably expect challenges in the Supreme Court questioning its Constitutional validity.'
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has resigned as the party's convener ahead of the national executive meeting
'For the first time in 66 years, here is a leader who democratically dares to take on the establishment by raising the right kind of questions. When will the poor get justice? For how many years will the migration of the poor to cities like Mumbai continue? How long will the poor sleep on the pavements and when will all this end?'
'Now if you break the party under the 10th Schedule you have to join another party.' 'You cannot join the NDA as it is not a party. You can only join another party, and that is the BJP.' 'So the question to ask is that these so-called 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs who are parting ways with the TMC, are they ready to join the BJP and accept Narendra Modi as their leader?'
Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal took oath on Saturday as the seventh chief minister of Delhi.
Arvind Kejriwal, Mr Anti-Establishment, wants to play politics without being branded as the typical Indian politician so that he can make his mark in the 2014 general election. While hiding his political manoeuvring, the Aam Admi Party's maverick leader is seeking fresh intervention in the agenda of the nation by agitating on the footpaths of New Delhi, says Sheela Bhatt.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will face a crucial vote of confidence on Thursday in the Delhi assembly.
AAP MP Raghav Chadha claims he was silenced after being removed as the party's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, alleging his own party sought to prevent him from speaking in Parliament.
An unidentified miscreant on Tuesday threw eggs and a stone at Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal at a rally in Sultanpur Majra Assembly constituency in North West Delhi. Kejriwal was unhurt in the incident.
Vishal Dadlani, Gul Panag, Javed Jaffrey speak up following celebrations.
Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has directed Aam Aadmi Party leader and chief minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal to prove majority of his government on the floor of Delhi assembly by January 3.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal has criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, alleging a decline in law and order and accusing them of using financial schemes to sway voters ahead of elections.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has strongly criticised the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid and subsequent arrest of Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora, calling it a politically motivated act by the BJP-led central government. AAP leaders allege the BJP is misusing central agencies to suppress opposition voices and destabilise the AAP government in Punjab.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, who is now geared up for the next stage of his civil disobedience movement, will end his two-week long fast against inflated power and water bills at 5 pm on Saturday. Kejriwal on Friday appealed to the residents of the national capital to help his team in reconnecting the power supply to homes that are without electricity because of unpaid bills during the next stage of his movement.
Is the Delhi chief minister trying to force the Congress to withdraw support to his government, asks Renu Mittal.
Facing criticism, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced his decision not to take up the two five-bedroom duplex flats he has been allotted. He told the media that he has asked the government to look for smaller accommodation for him.
Former Punjab minister Laljit Singh Bhullar has been arrested following the suicide of a state warehousing corporation official who accused the AAP MLA of harassment. The arrest follows public outcry and political pressure for accountability in the case.
Is the AAP a natural fit for the Opposition space and a misfit in government space? Does it believe in due processes and systems that accompany the democratic setup? Or, does it believe the end justifies the means, even if it means junking the framework within which governments function in a democracy? In an EXCLUSIVE, Arvind Kejriwal will appear on the Rediff Chat on Tuesday, February 18, 2014, at 11 am IST to answer these and other questions.
Former Punjab minister Laljit Singh Bhullar has been arrested in connection with the suicide of a state warehousing corporation official who accused the AAP MLA of harassment. The arrest follows demands for a CBI probe and political uproar.
The Punjab government has withdrawn Z-plus security cover for MP Raghav Chadha following a public disagreement with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). This decision has sparked criticism from opposition parties and raised questions about political motivations.
A special PMLA court in Gurugram has remanded Punjab Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora in Enforcement Directorate's custody for a week in an alleged Rs 100-crore GST fraud-linked money laundering case.
Sumit Agrawal says he was "deeply aggrieved" to find Kejriwal wearing sandals during a state banquet hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan against the prescribed dress code.
Punjab's Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has announced that the newly enacted anti-sacrilege law in Punjab leaves no loopholes for offenders to escape justice. The law proposes stricter punishment, including life imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 25 lakh, for any act of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib.
'In 2014 the BJP built its campaign around 'jija ji' (brother-in-law) and corruption, shouting about Vadra, 2G and coal scams. Yet today, all those cases have quietly been shut. The people are not fools. They can see the reality--that Congress and BJP are in a hidden alliance'
Additional Solicitor General S V Raju has urged the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to challenge rulings in predicate offences and share fresh evidence to prevent accused individuals from evading justice in money laundering cases.
'Arvind Kejriwal displayed crass male chauvinism and gender illiteracy in saying that "rape tendencies arise out of sex, prostitution and drug rackets." This shows a failure to grasp that rape has little to with sex, and even less with drugs. Such remarks are far worse than the deplorable comments of policemen and politicians who attribute rapes to women's "provocative" attire or their outdoor presence at night!' says Praful Bidwai.
Arvind Kejriwal is understood to have finalised his team of ministers that includes his trusted associate Manish Sisodia and five others to be inducted into his ministry that will be sworn in later this week.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him and his party of acting as the BJP's 'B-team'. Vijayan's remarks follow Rahul Gandhi's claims of collusion between the LDF and BJP due to alleged inaction in corruption cases against Vijayan.
The mass of voters chose Kejriwal and Mamdani for the simple reason that they were sick and tired of the stale promises and repetitive speeches belted out for long by mainstream political personalities, notes M R Narayan Swamy.
