Now, AAP Minister Claims He Was Assaulted Inside Delhi Secretariat by Protesting Babus

NEW DELHI: The Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said that the alleged attack on the Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash by Aam Aadmi Party MLAs on Tuesday proved that the AAP is a gundon ki party (party of goons) . Today s incident has presented a grave constitutional crisis as the chief minister got the chief secretary attacked in his own presence he told ET. AAP should mark its three years in power as vinash yatra (a journey of destruction) rather than vikas yatra (a journey of development) as it is doing Tiwari said blaming the Arvind Kejriwal government for sealing woes of traders deaths of patients due to lack of medical care corruption and disqualification of as many as 20 MLAs among other issues. As things stand Delhi s air is polluted water is contaminated and so is his (Kejriwal s) government he said. AAP leaders are contradicting themselves Tiwari said. On the one hand they say they https://www.metal-archives.com/users/kkmaketrip were stopped from bringing about any development and on the other hand they have come up with this term vikas yatra . This only means they are taking credit for development work done by Modi ji he said. The state BJP chief said his party has done more for Delhi by installing CCTVs or the peripheral (ring) road project unveiled by Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari. Dismissing the AAP s baseless allegations of corruption against North Delhi mayor BJP s Preety Agarwal Tiwari said this is just a way of diverting attention from corruption charges against the ruling party. Tiwari said he is planning to soon take an e-rickshaw to Vijay Chowk and hold a meeting with marginal workers such as chai-walas and pakoda-walas in the presence of members of resident welfare associations MLAs and MPs. Since the time Kejriwal and (Congress president) Rahul Gandhi mocked pakoda-walas we feel we need to come out in support of such marginal workers he said. Asked why the BJP is supporting illegal construction by demanding that the sealing drive be stopped Tiwari said the party wants a uniform law for all traders. In 2006 by way of an amendment of the Act while some traders got the leeway to raise the FAR (floor area ratio) others did not. We only want that the law should be the same for all he said. We want to build a liveable Delhi with ease of doing business for a cart puller a pakoda-wala or a chai-wala. We will bring in a law so that nobody can be harassed by a policeman or any other official he said. He said the BJP wants to double the power limit for small-scale units in residential areas to 10 KV and the number of workers to 10 to save these units from getting shut. Tiwari said he met Union minister of state for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday and demanded categorisation of conversion charges depending on the area arguing that the rates for Khan Market and Shahdara cannot be the same. He has shown full support for our demand he said. Reacting to former state minister Arvinder Singh Lovely s decision to quit the BJP to return to the Congress Tiwari said the party had cordial relations with Lovely till the time he left. We are in the opposition. What could we have given him? But he was part of the working group he said. Asked whether there is a possibility of the AAP and the Congress posing a joint threat to the BJP in 2019 polls the state BJP chief pointed to the municipal elections that were swept by the BJP. Both the Congress and the AAP have been responsible for Delhi s woes. The people of Delhi will not get befooled again. Corrupt Congress and the AAP have no such vision for Delhi that BJP has he said exuding confidence that the BJP will win the next election easily. Tiwari dismissed talk that he wants to contest the next general election from Buxar saying this was true in 2014 since he wanted to contest from his home town at the time but said now he can t leave Delhi. As for talk that he could be projected as a chief ministerial candidate he said that is something for the party s parliamentary board to decide and that anyone can be CM.
Written by Editorial | New Delhi | Published: February 22 2018 12:36 am No matter which version is true however the stature of both the AAP and the bureaucracy in Delhi stands severely diminished. (File) The Aam Aadmi Party s big victory in 2015 in Delhi had held out a promise that democracy in India can still allow new players to step in enlarge the space. The exchange of accusations between Delhi s elected government and its chief secretary mirrors a reneging on those possibilities. Clashing accounts of what transpired at the midnight meeting in the Delhi Chief Minister s residence on Monday paint either Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash or AAP MLAs as the villain. No matter which version is true however the stature of both the AAP and the bureaucracy in Delhi stands severely diminished. The capital s unique position under Article 239AA it has an elected government but without many of the powers other state governments enjoy makes its government far more dependent on the Centre s cooperation. This special position demands therefore that Delhi s government shows both the willingness and the skill to negotiate especially with a seemingly unfriendly Centre. On Monday night however the AAP appears to have flagged off a sorry sequence of events with a Tughlaki firmaan it summoned Prakash at midnight to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal s residence. The AAP claims its MLAs wanted to discuss non-disbursal of rations yet Food and Civil Supplies Minister Imran Hussain was not present. In Prakash s version the meeting was held to discuss the government s publicity programme on its achievements in three years. Subsequently while the chief secretary alleges he was insulted and assaulted the AAP contends he used casteist slurs against its MLAs. The next day even as staff members of the Delhi Secretariat allegedly heckled and assaulted Hussain the bureaucracy said it will work only on written orders and the IAS Association took out a candle-light protest march at Rajghat. If the AAP can be accused of an undimmed confrontationism that does not behove a party that has completed three years of its term the bureaucracy s response renews allegations of political partisanship the Centre has long been charged with using bureaucrats and the office of the LG to shrink the elected government s room for manoevre. Certainly the marching IAS Association does its own cause immense disservice. In the last three years the AAP government has had numerous stand-offs with the bureaucracy and the Centre over the appointment of officials over state government decisions being overruled and on the alleged misuse of investigative agencies. Recently the party faced a political crisis after 20 of its MLAs were disqualified for holding offices of profit . Since the departure of former Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung however a relative calm had set in. Now the accusations of assault and abuse announce the end of the welcome lull. Instead of concentrating on governance in general and health and education in particular two areas in which it has had some success the bureaucracy and government of Delhi is engaged in a destructive conflict. Both must pause and consider the consequences of the vitriol that has been unleashed a betrayal of their responsibility to the people of Delhi. For all the latest Opinion News download Indian Express App More From Editorial Fuel for reform End of Coal India s monopoly is welcome promises to improve quality of coal increase efficiency of power generation... February 22 1978 Forty Years Ago Railway Minister Madhu Dandavate had outlined steps to ensure comfortable travel for second class passengers... A lack of fit In Delhi s pollution crisis National Green Tribunal again ventures into policy-making undermines its own authority.. Tags: AAP Delhi government Delhi Chief Secretary GG YAGNESWARANFeb 22 2018 at 11:37 amKejriwal government should be dismissed. If the Chief Secretary can be manhandled then what will be fate of other employees. Kejriwal and his fellow rogues should be punished.(1)(0) Reply Meenal MamdaniFeb 22 2018 at 9:10 amA very restrained and sensible editorial. In a situation of she said/he said it is difficult to know what is the truth. While it is true that the previous Lt governor was hostile to AAP and provoked confrontations it is equally true that AAP has preferred to create a media event rather than work quietly to resolve differences. Kejriwal was an IAS officer once so he must know the importance of keeping working relationships on a cordial footing with the bureaucracy. Unless Anshu Prakash has had a re tion for being obstructionist the suspicion for this incident falls on AAP which has a re tion for being confrontational.(2)(0) Reply
VK Jain advisor to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal told the Delhi Police he saw Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash being assaulted at the chief minister s residence. This statement could spell trouble for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). File image of Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash. News18 Jain was questioned by Delhi Police on Wednesday. He was an eyewitness to the alleged incident which took place around midnight on Monday. CNN-News18 reported that the Delhi Police seeking custody of the MLAs Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal told a city court Jain saw a physical assault on the chief secretary by the ruling AAP MLAs. The police claimed the assault occurred with a clear intent and conspiracy. Jain has essentially corroborated what the chief secretary said in his complaint to the police. This will have both legal and political implications for Kejriwal and AAP. Even worse for the AAP the police sources said recorded the statement under Section 164 before a magistrate which would render it admissible in court. A senior AAP leader speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed to Firstpost that the chief secretary was indeed thrashed by the MLAs in presence of Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia. Though this leader was not present at chief minister s residence during the incident he said he spoke to some MLAs who witnessed the incident. The AAP leader said he was told by his party colleagues that they had to teach chief secretary a lesson and mortally scare him for all times to come so that does not cross wires with chief minister s thoughts ideas and orders . The AAP leader added he was told the ministers did what they thought was best to create fear in the heart and mind of the chief secretary. AAP leadership and party members were deeply frustrated with babus at the information department holding up TV advertisements celebrating the completion of three years of being in power at the state government because of Supreme Court guidelines which say all the facts in official advertisements should be checked and cleared by the departments concerned and were inclined to settle that issue with chief secretary. But they erred in their calculation. A source said AAP leadership thought that since there were going to be no witnesses and since the meeting was called at dead of night no high-ranking self-respecting officer like the chief secretary would go out and tell the world he was thrashed by lawmakers in the presence of the chief minister and deputy chief minister. Anshu left Kejriwal s residence quietly and chose to remain quiet through the night. However he decided to make a formal complaint before higher constitutional authorities (lieutenant governor and Union home minister) and the police the next day. The AAP leaders had not expected that. It put them on defensive. The problem became even bigger for Kejriwal and his colleagues as entire Delhi administration staff Indian Administrative Service (IAS) DANICS (Delhi Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service) and subordinate service personnel went on a flash strike and marched to Rajghat Mahatma Gandhi s samadhi. Anshu is soft-spoken efficient always inclined to lend support to a colleague and help find a solution in difficult times. For that he commands the admiration and respect of his colleagues and subordinates. The narrative which Kejriwal s team tried to weave: Using the non-delivery of subsidised rations to 2.5 lakh poor as reason for the heated argument (all the while denying the assault) was unsustainable for one simple fact: If a meeting on ration cards and delivery of subsidised rations or the lack of it to an intended group was to be discussed at midnight the least Kejriwal could have done was to ensure presence of civil supplies minister and civil supplies secretary at the meeting. But neither the minister nor the secretary were called for the meeting. It is only common sense that the chief secretary does not directly deal with food and civil supplies (such as ration cards) to discuss the issue with chief minister and MLAs. In any case the MLAs had no business grilling the chief secretary. He is not answerable to them. The chief minister can of course summon the chief secretary to discuss emergent issues but he can t let his party men loose over the top bureaucrat in state administration. The other argument which negates AAP s ration card argument: This was not an issue which warranted the summoning of chief secretary at midnight. The issue could have been taken next day at Chief Minister s Office or elsewhere. If the legislators wanted to have their say and thought the matter was serious Kejriwal could have called a special session of Assembly. Calling special session of Assembly is not new to Kejriwal. He has convened it many times. Jain has been mentioned on more than one occasion in Anshu s statement to the police: On 19.2.2018 I was informed on telephone around 8.45 pm by Advisor to Chief Minister V K Jain that I have to reach CM s Residence at 12.00 midnight to discuss with Chief Minister & Deputy Chief Minister the issue of difficulty in release of certain TV Advertisement relating to completion of 3 years of current Government in Delhi. I suggested that the meeting could be held on 20.02.2018 in the morning. However it was reiterated by Advisor to CM at 9 pm and again at around 10.00 pm that the meeting has been scheduled by CM at 12 midnight . Advisor to CM again called me around 11.20pm to confirm that I have left for CM s residence for the meeting .On arrival of CM s residence I met Sri V K Jain advisor to CM and thereafter both of us were taken to the front room where Chief Minister (Shri Arvind Kejriwal) and deputy Chief Minister (Shri Manish Sisodia) and around 11 MLA s / persons were present. Besides Anshu Jain was the only non-political (AAP) person in the room where Anshu was allegedly beaten up. Jain s statement is just the evidence the Delhi Police was looking for.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) today claimed in the Delhi High Court that judicial review of President s order disqualifying 20 AAP MLAs for holding office-of-profit lies on a very narrow compass and the courts ordinarily would not enter into such matters. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Chander Shekhar was informed by the poll panel that if superior courts exercised their jurisdiction on such matters if permissible at all the courts ordinarily would not enter into their merits. The judicial review of the order passed by the President under Section 15 of the (Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act) or under Article 103 of the Constitution of India based on the opinion of the ECI lies on a very narrow compass. If the superior courts exercise their jurisdiction under Article 226 and 32 of the Constitution in respect of such matters if permissible at all the courts ordinarily would not enter into the merits of the matter ECI counsel Amit Sharma argued. He also submitted that re-appreciation of evidence cannot be sought by a party even if there is a possibility of a different conclusion being arrived at on the evidence placed. The ECI was replying to arguments made by the disqualified MLAs found guilty of holding office of profit as parliamentary secretaries to ministers in the AAP government after it came to power in 2015. The MLAs had approached the high court challenging their disqualification after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his approval to the ECI s recommendation. The arguments on behalf of the ECI which remained inconclusive will resume tomorrow. The high court had on January 24 refused to stay the Centre s notification disqualifying them but restrained the EC from taking any precipitate measures such as announcing dates for by polls to fill the vacancies. The EC had recommended the disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs on January 19. The President had accepted the EC s opinion the very next day. The 20 disqualified MLAs include Adarsh Shastri (Dwarka) Alka Lamba (Chandni Chowk) Anil Bajpai (Gandhi Nagar) Avtar Singh (Kalkaji) Kailash Gahlot (Najafgarh) -- who is also a minister Madan Lal (Kasturba Nagar) Manoj Kumar (Kondli) Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli) Nitin Tyagi (Laxmi Nagar) Praveen Kumar (Jangpura). The others are Rajesh Gupta (Wazirpur) Rajesh Rishi (Janakpuri) Sanjeev Jha (Burari) Sarita Singh (Rohtas Nagar) Som Dutt (Sadar Bazar) Sharad Kumar (Narela) Shiv Charan Goel (Moti Nagar) Sukhbir Singh (Mundka) Vijendar Garg (Rajinder Nagar) and Jarnail Singh (Tilak Nagar).
New Delhi: The Delhi government on Monday announced the launch of Mission Buniyaad for improving learning skills of children studying in state and municipal-run schools.The announcement was made by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in New Delhi days after the National Achievement Survey (NAS) showed that the entire country including Delhi was facing a learning crisis in schools.Under the programme which will run from April to June for Class 3 to 5 in Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) schools and for Class 6 to 8 in government s schools children will undergo a reading level assessment based on which they will be enrolled in specialised Mission Buniyaad classes. For children who are not able to read I request all parents to cancel their vacation plans during summer holidays and send their children to school for remedial classes. I appeal to parents of children to support the Delhi government and MCDs in this campaign in the interest of their children s future Mr Sisodia said in a press conference.Officials of the education department will run the campaign in mission mode for three months from April to June this year Mr Sisodia said.Manish Sisodia who also holds the education portfolio said that the programme is being designed on the lines of Delhi government s Chunauti scheme after two rounds of meetings with MCDs the Delhi Cantonment Board and the North Delhi Municipal Council. The NAS survey demonstrates that close to half of all children in our schools are not able to read their grade level textbooks. In the secondary schools run by the Delhi government various programmes we initiated have improved reading ability by about 20%. However children in primary schools that are under the MCD are not able to read and thereafter when they study in secondary schools they find it difficult to cope up with the advanced levels he said. CommentsClose X The deputy chief minister said it was in the interest of the children of Delhi that the efforts made by the government be extended to MCD schools as well. The municipal bodies that run primary schools in the city will raise a cadre of teachers who will drive the program in a manner similar to the Mentor Teacher Program run in Delhi government schools. One teacher will take care of five schools and will train teachers of these five schools on enhancing readability of children he said.
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday sent two Aam Aadmi Party lawmakers arrested on charge of assaulting Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash to judicial custody for 14 days.Metropolitan Magistrate Shefali Barnala Tandon said that orders on the bail pleas of AAP lawmakers Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal and also on their police custody will be pronounced on Friday.On Wednesday Ms Tandon had refused a Delhi Police plea for police custody of the MLAs and sent them to judicial custody till Thursday. CommentsClose X The chief secretary alleged that he was beaten up by the two MLAs in the presence of Arvind Kejriwal at the chief minister s residence here on Monday night where he had been called for a meeting.While Jarwal was arrested on Tuesday night Khan surrendered at a police station here on Wednesday afternoon.
Arvind Kejriwal posted a video message on Twitter addressing the residents of DelhiNew Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi completes three years in power today. The party was voted to power with a thumping majority. AAP won 67 out of the 70 legislative seats in the 2015 elections. However the road so far has mostly been marred with controversy and court cases. In the 2017 by-election AAP lost the Rajouri Garden seat to the BJP. 20 legislators have been disqualified on charges of alleged office of profit. AAP National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is more often than not embroiled in a battle with the centre-appointed Lt. Governor. The party s attempt to make inroads into other states have only been disappointing. A defamation case against Arvind Kejriwal by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is still ongoing in the Delhi High Court.A call-in show has been arranged today by the party to mark its 3rd anniversary.Here are the highlights on the 3rd anniversary of Arvind Kejriwal s AAP Government:Feb 14 201823:08 (IST)Delhi Government To Conduct Round-The-Year Study On PollutionThe Delhi government will conduct a round-the-year air quality study to ascertain sources of pollution in the city Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today. Feb 14 201813:49 (IST)God bless @ArvindKejriwal and @msisodia! Sync between you two has proved an unbelievable boon for Delhi and India. pic.twitter.com/Jfuvdf7Rpa- Adv. Somnath Bharti (@attorneybharti) February 14 2018Feb 14 201813:06 (IST)Aam Aadmi Party posted this on twitter with a caption AK loves Delhi .Feb 14 201812:27 (IST) Arvind Kejriwal said 3 years back your unexpected majority led to the formation of an honest government in Delhi. We have worked extensively on fundamental issues like road water electricity education and health. We will continue to serve you keeping loving us. 3 स ल पहले आपने हमें अप्रत्य श त बहुमत द य ज सक वजह से आज द ल्ल में एक ईम नद र सरक र है हमने बुन य द मुद्द ं जैसे सड़क प न ब जल श क्ष स्व स्थ्य पर ढेर स र क म क य है और आगे भ ऐसे ह करते रहेंगे बस अपन प्य र बन ए रख एग :@ArvindKejriwal#3YearsofAAPGovernancepic.twitter.com/wRR6oewbyb- Aam Aadmi Party Delhi (@AAPDelhi) February 14 2018Feb 14 201812:21 (IST) AAP s National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said AAP government works for the people. We made 11 flyovers in 3 years. 90 new night shelters have been built with better facilities. Feb 14 201812:18 (IST) Arvind Kejriwal said 7030 classrooms were made in 3 years and 8000 new classrooms are currently under construction. The previous government had made only 800 schools. In 3 years 20 new schools made 28 to be ready this year. Feb 14 201812:18 (IST) Delhi chief minister said In 2015 when we came to power there was a lot of load shedding. We have seen mehangayi never sastai in this country For past 3 years electricity bills have reduced to half. Feb 14 201812:16 (IST) In a Facebook Live Arvind Kejriwal said Almost 90% patients have said to me medicines and treatment is fine. One complaint is - too much crowd. Feb 14 201812:14 (IST) In the Twitter video Arvind Kejriwal says cases of corruption have reduced in the last 3 years as the residents of Delhi chose an honest government for them.स एम क अपन जनत के न म संदेश प छले 3 स ल ं में भ्रष्ट च र में खूब कम आय है क्यूँक 3 स ल पहले द ल्ल के ल ग ं ने एक ईम नद र सरक र बन य थ ब ध एँ बहुत आय ं लेक न आपके हक़ के ल ए हम हर कठ न य से लड़े मेर सबसे बड़ त क़त आप हैं : @ArvindKejriwal#3YearsOfAAPGovernancepic.twitter.com/3eYjSO8RWx- Aam Aadmi Party Delhi (@AAPDelhi) February 14 2018No more content CommentsClose X
Kejriwal-bashing is a fashionable pastime in the upper reaches of the middle class in India and certainly in its capital. As Delhi chief minister Arvind Kerjiwal completes three years in office only a black humourist would associate the third anniversary of his tenure with Valentine s Day but then facts are facts. I have firm reasons to believe that he is more loved than hated in the bottom of Delhi s voter pyramid. You can t write him off even if he loses the next election as his rivals will hope. The former bureaucrat s pithy dismissive combative style of politics can be deemed better only than that of the cantankerous Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal. But much like her there are two who love Kejriwal down the ladder for everyone who hates him up the stairs. There are plenty of things Kerjiwal has done or not --- that would raise eyebrows among those of us who saw him as leading a new wave of cleanliness in Indian politics. He fell out with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) colleagues like Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan in a manner that undermined his party s democratic structure. Then he controversially appointed 20 of his MLAs as parliamentary secretaries that resulted in their disqualification by the Election Commission. AAP s poet leader Kuman Vishwas is in a royal sulk that makes headlines often. Kejriwal has named moneybags Sushil Gupta a defector from Congress to boot to be a Rajya Sabha MP defying his aam aadmi talk and postures against crony capitalism. His fights with the lieutenant governor of Delhi would make us think he was spending more time wrestling than governing. AAP minister Saytendar Jain faces a CBI investigation on corruption and money-laundering charges. Phew! What a lot of stuff for a negative image for a man who vowed to clean up Indian politics! But look beyond loud headlines quarter-baked TV anchors and Kejriwal s decidedly chip-in-the-shoulder persona and you would see a government that seems to have performed where it really matters for a state government: water education and health. This is where AAP has changed Delhi politics in a fundamental way that cannot be ignored. A report card shows the party has clearly done some good work at the grassroots taking a leaf out of populilst leaders like the late J. Jayalalithaa in Tamil Nadu and Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh. Of these the controversial 50% power subsidy on electricity bills free water and 8 000 new-age classrooms stand out as do 180 Mohalla clinics. There are unfulfilled promises and flaws in quite of his promised schemes but there is no denying that the slum-dweller in Delhi has tasted blood in a way that the Congress and BJP would have to fall in line if they come back to power. Also as a third front in Delhi AAP has qualitatively altered what I call the city s Lazy Anti-Incumbency Syndrome. AAP activists and Kejriwal loyalists visibly show an energy that makes rival party leaders sleepless as they cannot simply take a rebound victory for granted. Kejriwal s odd-even scheme to reduce air pollution remains a gimmick gone wrong. But it is important to note that even an online poll that hardly https://quitter.se/kkamazon touches those without smartphones or personal computers shows the AAP government getting more than 50% (pass marks) in areas such as power water education and health. My guess is that below the online surface the marks would be higher. This does not necessarily mean that Kejriwal and his AAP will win the next election to rule the capital whose politics is very complex and demanding. It is also relevant that barring pockets of Punjab and Goa AAP remains a Dilliwali party. Air pollution is one issue on which AAP believes in rhetoric more than action and the average Delhi-ite has seen through that. However all said and done the grassroots transformation of Delhi s politics is something that AAP has proved for good in terms of ideas and approaches. The big question remains: Can AAP sustain its energy and momentum and grow its activist base? Can it come to a middle ground where its beginner s luck needs to be replaced by sober long-term governance? That would be another story. (Madhavan Narayanan is a senior journalist who has covered politics diplomacy business technology and other subjects in a long career that has spanned organisations including Reuters Business Standard and Hindustan Times. He is currently an independent columnist editor and commentator. He is listed among the top 200 Indian influencers on Twitter. He tweets as @madversity) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)