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5th day of AAP dharna: Left parties, some personalities extend support; BJP counters

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5th day of AAP dharna: Left parties, some personalities extend support; BJP counters

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Outside support started pouring in for the sit-in protest at Raj Niwas by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and three of his cabinet colleagues that entered its fifth day today, Friday, June 15.

The Delhi CM and his ministers are staging the sit-in to persuade the Lt Governor Anil Baijal to ask the IAS officers to resume regular work[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1529059571741{border-top-width: 10px !important;border-right-width: 10px !important;border-bottom-width: 10px !important;border-left-width: 10px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #c6c6c6 !important;border-radius: 10px !important;}”]The demands are:

* Issue a direction to IAS officers to end their “strike”

* Action against those who have struck work for “four months”

* Approve the proposal for doorstep delivery of rations.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]From Thursday, support for Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government poured in from other quarters. Several personalities and regional parties, including the Trinamool Congress, backed the Kejriwal-led protest.

Appealing the Centre to resolve the crisis immediately, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted, “Elected Chief Minister must get due respect. May I appeal to the government of India and the LG to resolve the problem immediately so that people do not suffer.”

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also requested PM Modi’s intervention in the ongoing tussle between the Delhi government and the LG. In a letter addressed to the PM, Vijayan said, “I write to you in hope that the spirit of the Constitution will be upheld. I request your personal intervention to ensure that the work of the Delhi Government should proceed without hindrance,” he said.

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary also called the situation in Delhi a “governance failure”.

Former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, who is also a former IAS officer, too, joined the AAP workers during their protest on Tuesday. “Had Atal Bihari Vajpayee been the PM, he would have ordered the Home Minister to open a dialogue with the elected CM,” Sinha said.

Taking to Twitter, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury accused the BJP, at the Centre, of “using the office of the LG” to ensure the Delhi government is unable to “discharge its constitutional duties”. He tweeted, “BJP central government is using the office of the LG to obstruct the elected state government in Delhi to discharge its constitutional duties. This is despicable. The Centre must abandon this course of confrontation right away.”

CPI wrote to LG saying, “No constitutional authority of Delhi can bypass or neglect the Govt of Delhi in any matter of Governance of Delhi”. The party says the L-G is duty-bound to meet Kejriwal and his ministers.

Noted actor Kamal Haasan said in a tweet: “Interference in the functioning of an elected government is unacceptable in a democracy. In fact what is happening in Delhi and in TN/Pondicherry are not too different. It is frustrating for people who want a change for the better.”

The Delhi High Court, on the other hand, agreed to hear on June 18 a plea seeking to declare the sit-in by the CM and his cabinet colleagues as unconstitutional and illegal. The petition was mentioned before Justice C Hari Shankar who said that it be listed for hearing on Monday. The plea filed by petitioner Hari Nath Ram sought direction for discharging the chief ministerial obligations and responsibilities as the entire functioning of the Chief Minister office of National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi has been brought to a “stand still” since the sit-in started.

The IAS offcers in Delhi government claim they are not on strike – something they cannot admit to without risking their jobs – but are only staying away from meetings with Kejriwal government ministers since their feel unsafe. The reason they cite is the alleged assault on chief secretary Anshu Prakash when he went for a late night meeting at Kejriwal’s residence. They demand that the CM apologise to them for the incident.

A case was lodged with Delhi Police soon after the alleged assault and the case is under investigation. The CM and ministers have been questioned at length and their premises searched thoroughly. There are no reports of any questioning that any bureaucrat was subjected to in the case.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleges that the LG, under instructions from the Modi government at the Centre, has been “coordinating” the IAS officers “strike” to hobble the Delhi government’s functioning and prevent it from carrying out any work. CM Kejriwal and his three ministers have been sitting in Raj Niwas seeking a meeting with LG Anil Baijal, asking him to get the officers back to normal work.

Kejriwal has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising the issue of problems being faced by Delhi and the need to attend to them.

So far, there is no resolution in sight.

The BJP and the Congress are both attacking the AAP government, alleging that it is trying to find excuses for its incompetence and failure to deliver by blaming officers. They also contend that officers were attending to work and that the CM and his ministers were running away from their responsibilities, accusing them of being on a strike.

The BJP has also been pointing to several problems that Delhi citizens are facing because of Delhi government’s inability to deliver – a point that AAP government says establishes its contention that work was being hampered because officers are not working.

On Thursday, several Aam Aadmi Party leaders marched to LG Anil Baijal’s residence and chanted slogans such as “LG sahab, Delhi Chhodo (LG, quit Delhi)”. The party has planned to hold a candlelight march at Raj Ghat to keep the momentum going. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kejriwal alleged that Baijal is doing “nothing” to break the impasse despite repeated requests from the party and sought the PM’s intervention in the case.

Meanwhile, the stand of the bureaucrats, the LG , the Centre and the BJP has come in for some scathing criticism. The officers’ continuing protest and their demand for apology, on the very face of it, lacks merit when a criminal case has already been filed with Delhi Police. The demand would mean they want the CM to apologise and also prosecute him.

Some former bureaucrats also questioned the IAS officers’ stand, pointing out instances where they have been subjected to worse under governments of other parties but there was not a squeak from any of them. Instances mentioned include the treatment meted out to bureaucrats by different chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the assault on Puri district collector, the remarks on IAS officers by union minister Dharmendra Pradhan. They have also not dared to protest the move to allot cadres only after Foundation Course rather than civil service examination results, or the decision to bypass the UPSC in going for lateral recruitment into IAS at joint secretary level.

A former bureaucrat who resigned from IAS to follow his own interests, TR Raghunandan has this to say: “So what makes IAS officers unusually bold when it comes to Kejriwal? Why are they capable of defying him to the extent that they have done? The answer is simple: he does not, in his current position as Chief Minister of Delhi, control the progression of their careers. If he were a CM of a full state, or if Delhi were a full state, they would toe his line.

“So all this hype about the behaviour of the Delhi government being unprecedented is nonsense. In fact, on the other hand, the differential outrage of the IAS to the alleged misconduct of the Delhi government, while being silent to other slurs and body blows to the IAS delivered by the Modis and Adityanaths of this world, is entirely predictable, given their careerist obsessions.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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At Congress meet, Kharge blames internal bickering, statements against own party leaders for election losses

Kharge noted that the atmosphere was in the Congress’ favour during the elections but pointed out that just the atmosphere being in its favour does not guarantee victory.

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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday asserted that the internal bickering in the party and statements against own party leaders were among the reasons for the loss of the grand old party in the recently concluded Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana.

Noting that statements against own party leaders harm the party a lot, Kharge said that tough decisions will have to be taken, accountability be fixed and shortcomings removed by learning lessons from the election results.

In his address during the Congress Working Committee meeting at the AICC headquarters, Kharge highlighted the EVMs issue and said that the EVMs have made the electoral process suspect, stressing it is the constitutional responsibility of the Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections in the country.

“Unless we fight elections unitedly and stop making statements against each other, how will we be able to defeat our opponents politically?” the Congress president said.

“Therefore, it is important that we strictly follow discipline. We have to remain united under all circumstances. The party also has the weapon of disciplining. But we do not want to put our comrades in any bondage,” he said.

“Therefore, everyone needs to think that a victory of the Congress party is our victory and a defeat is our defeat. Our strength lies in the strength of the party,” the Congress president said.

He also noted that the Congress made a comeback with new enthusiasm riding on its performance in the Lok Sabha polls and said the election results of three states were not as per the party’s expectations.

“INDIA parties formed the government in 2 out of 4 states. But our performance was below expectation. This is a challenge for us in terms of the future,” he said.

“We need to immediately learn from the election results and correct all our weaknesses and shortcomings at the organisational level. These results are a message for us,” he said.

Kharge noted that the atmosphere was in the Congress’ favour during the elections but pointed out that just the atmosphere being in its favour does not guarantee victory.

“We will have to learn to convert the atmosphere into results. What is the reason that we are not able to take advantage of the atmosphere?” he said.

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BJP says it stands for credibility of promises under PM Modi, Congress for crisis

Trivedi mockingly questioned whether Kharge was truthful in his statements made the previous day, implying that his critiques of the BJP were a reaction driven by pressure to reconcile his earlier remarks.

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The BJP said on Saturday that it stood for the credibility of promises made under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, while labeling the Congress party as one suffering from a crisis of credibility, intensifying their ongoing rhetorical conflict over unfulfilled electoral pledges.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said that the ruling party has expanded its welfare initiatives, including health insurance, free food grains, and cash transfers to farmers, emphasising a strategy focused on wealth creation followed by equitable distribution as the Indian economy has grown over the last decade.

“We believe in the creation of wealth and its distribution. The Congress fosters corruption and depletes wealth,” he stated, referencing numerous unfulfilled promises made by Congress-led governments across various states.

Following Mallikarjun Kharge’s remark labeling “Modi ki guarantee” as a cruel joke after Modi seized Kharge’s guidance on budgetary constraints in state poll announcements, the BJP launched new accusations.

Trivedi mockingly questioned whether Kharge was truthful in his statements made the previous day, implying that his critiques of the BJP were a reaction driven by pressure to reconcile his earlier remarks.

Trivedi highlighted several accomplishments of the Modi government, including the construction of the Ram temple, the abrogation of Article 370, the building of over 14 crore homes for the impoverished, the establishment of more than 51 crore Jan Dhan accounts, and a firm stance against terrorism from Pakistan, to demonstrate the government’s fulfillment of its commitments.

He noted that Kharge, having witnessed notable leaders like PV Narasimha Rao and Pranab Mukherjee manage economic challenges effectively, is now observing the Congress party struggling under the influence of urban Naxals due to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing Kharge’s criticisms on various issues, Trivedi pointed to data from the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) indicating a rise in account holders from 11 crore to 25 crore over the past decade.

He also referenced significant infrastructure projects, such as the construction of homes for the poor, 74 new airports, and an impressive pace of 37 kilometers of road built per day, claiming that these initiatives have created substantial employment opportunities.

“India is now ranked third in auto manufacturing and second in mobile phone manufacturing; if anyone is unable to recognize the country’s progress, there is a profound deficiency in their perspective,” asserted the BJP spokesperson.

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Maharashtra elections: Congress says Mahayuti understands its exit is certain

Congress leader Sachin Pilot, also an observer of the Congress party for the Maharashtra elections, said that the ruling Mahayuti alliance is aware that its exit is imminent.      

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The Congress on Wednesday asserted the ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has understood that its exit is certain as the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance is strong and that all its candidates are in a strong position for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot, also an observer of the Congress party for the Maharashtra elections, said that the ruling Mahayuti alliance is aware that its exit is imminent.      

The Congress leader stated that the party is fully prepared and that its ally parties in Maharashtra are strong. He mentioned that the seat-sharing negotiations occurred in a positive atmosphere and that the ruling party has recognized that their exit is inevitable.

“All the candidates of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are in a strong position. The people here have decided to support Congress and its allies in the upcoming Assembly elections,” he said.

He also noted that the alliance’s performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections was impressive. “Wherever Congress contested, our candidates won 80 percent of the seats. We expect this trend to continue,” he added.

Pilot acknowledged that there have been some differences among party members regarding specific seats but assured that those issues would be resolved in the next 2-3 days, ensuring there would be only one candidate from the MVA for each seat.

Earlier in the day, Ramesh Chennithala, Congress in charge of Maharashtra, slammed the BJP, claiming that the party is undermining its alliances in the state.

“The BJP is dismantling its alliances. They are forcefully converting alliance partner candidates into their own party candidates. The people will respond to this,” he stated while speaking to reporters.

Earlier on October 26, Chennithala alleged that crores of rupees have been reportedly offered to two of its MLAs to join Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction, ahead of state Assembly elections.

Chennithala made those allegations while speaking to reporters in the national capital. He also questioned the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Voting for all 288 constituencies for the Maharashtra Assembly elections are set for November 20 and counting on November 23. In the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42.

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