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Revolt in AAP against Kejriwal after he apologises to Majithia to get out of defamation case

Published

8 years ago

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Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is facing a revolt in Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over his apology by to Shrimani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Majithia, for accusing him of involvement in drug racket.

Kejriwal’s apology came even as Punjab government appointed a two-member panel to examine and suggest action on the special task force (STF) report on the alleged role of former revenue minister and Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia with drug traffickers.

While AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh also voiced disagreement with Kejriwal, AAP’s Punjab unit MLAs held a press conference on Friday, March 16, and slammed Keriwal’s apology. Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Sukhpal Khaira said that Kejriwal’s decision reflects ‘mental weakness.

“Strongly condemn Arvind Kejriwal’s apology to Bikram Majithia. Nobody was consulted before he took this decision. This shows that he has become weak and also raises questions on his talks with Akali Dal. For me welfare of Punjab’s people is most important,” Khaira added

He said that a ‘final decision’ by party MLAs will be taken later in the evening. The MLAs said that all decisions will be taken in Punjab’s favour.

“Many people are unhappy (with Arvind Kejriwal‘s apology to Bikram Singh Majithia). I hope justice will be done as people like BS Majithia deserve to be in jail,” AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said.

During elections, AAP had made drug abuse in the state as a major issue. Kejriwal, who was leading the AAP, had accused Majithia of being involved in narcotics trade.

Many AAP leaders had reacted angrily to Kejriwal’s decision to apologise to Majithia as soon as they came to know of it. “I fail to understand the timing of Kejriwal’s apology when STF of PB has stated to the High Court today that there’s substantial evidence to proceed against Bikram Majitha on the issue of drugs,” Khaira had said.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]”We’re appalled n stunned by the apology of @ArvindKejriwal tendered today, we don’t hesitate to admit that we haven’t been consulted on this meek surrender by a leader of his stature (sic),” Khaira tweeted.

AAP leader Bhagwant Mann resigned from his post as AAP state president. “I’m resigning as a president of AAP Punjab …but my fight against drug mafia and all kind of corruption in Punjab will continue as an ‘Aam Aadmi’ of Punjab,” Mann tweeted Friday. In the past, the Sangrur MP had held Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and the Badal family responsible for bringing drugs to Punjab.

Another senior AAP leader Kanwar Sandhu also reacted sharply.

“Arvind Kejriwal’ apology to Bikram Majithia in the defamation case on drugs is a let down to the people, especially the youth of Punjab. We in Punjab have not been taken into the loop. Our fight for Punjab continues,” Sandhu tweeted.

“I have seen the pain of parents who lost their young ones due to and they blame Bikram Majithia for it. Hereby I still believe that Bikram Majithia was involved in drugs until he is given a clean chit after a thorough independent enquiry by CBI,(sic)” Harjot Bains, the chief spokesperson of Aam Aadmi Party’s Punjab unit was reported to have said.

Aman Arora, co-president AAP Punjab, said that he was ‘shocked and disappointed’ after coming to know about the apology. “Shocked and disappointed to know about the apology tendered by Arvind Kejriwal 2 Majithia. I still believe drugs wud not have taken so much young lives had the previous Govt not patronised drug mafia. Our fight against drugs continues,(sic)” Arora said, according to a report in The Financial Express (FE).

Leaders from ruling Congress also slammed AAP. Navjot Singh Sindhu said, “It is a let down to the people of Punjab. I feel Kejriwal has murdered AAP in Punjab. It is as if their existence has been wiped off. With what face will they speak against drugs in Punjab now?”

Arvind Kejriwal had written to Majithia saying he had learnt that his allegations were unfounded. “In the recent past I made certain statements and allegations against you regarding your alleged involvement in drug trade. These statements became a political issue. Now I’ve learnt that the allegations are unfounded. Hence there should be no politics on such issues. I hereby withdraw all my statements and allegations made against you and apologise for the same,” Kejriwal said.

Majithia spoke to media after Kejriwal’s apology letter. He said he was grateful that ‘truth’ had ‘won’. Majithia added that he did not want to pursue the defamation case filed against him since the AAP leader had “tendered his apology”.

“I thank Kejriwal for showing greatness in seeking apology for his remarks made against me. I have told my lawyers that from our side, this case ends as Kejriwal has sought apology. I have asked my counsels to withdraw the defamation case. Person makes mistake and with the grace of God, if I have the ability to forgive and I will forgive,” the SAD leader said.

“I had said from the beginning that either he will say sorry or he will go to jail. Sending someone to jail is not my intention,” he asserted.

“It is indeed a historical moment that a sitting chief minister has submitted a written apology in court withdrawing all statements he made against me,” said Majithia.

AAP leader Ashish Khetan had apologized as well, he added.

Majithia had filed a defamation case against Kejriwal and two other AAP leaders, Sanjay Singh and Ashish Khetan, in May 2016.

Majithia’s counsel told The Indian Express that the defamation case against AAP leader Sanjay Singh in a Ludhiana court will continue unless Singh himself apologises for the drug dealer remark he had made for Majithia.

AAP alliance partner Lok Insaf Party’s Simarjit Singh Bains, responding to whether they will snap the alliance with AAP, said that Kejriwal’s apology was a “betrayal to people of Punjab”. He added that people would “not bear with it”. “This is a non-issue, probably there is a back-door dealing behind it. Our MLAs will sit together & take a collective decision,” said Bains.

AAP leaders in New Delhi, however, said the move was to shed court cases, in which the party convenor finds himself mired, and hinted that a similar course could be adopted in the defamation case filed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

AAP’s Delhi unit, according to media reports, said Kejriwal was facing dozens of civil and criminal cases related to defamation, putting hoardings or posters during election campaigns, violation of Sec 144, public protests etc in Delhi and other parts of India like Varanasi, Amethi, Punjab, Assam, Maharashtra, Goa and many other places.

“Most of these cases require personal appearance in court. These cases have been foisted by our political rivals to de-motivate us and keep our leadership busy in these legal matters. The decision to amicably sort out all such legal cases is a strategy as devised by the legal team of the party. The political cases in Delhi have been put on fast track forcing MLAs andmMinisters to virtually attend cases on daily basis in courts at Delhi and other states,” spokesperson of AAP’s Delhi unit Saurabh Bharadwaj said.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Renaming MGNREGA removes core spirit of rural employment law, says Shashi Tharoor

Published

2 days ago

on

December 19, 2025

By

Shashi Tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has strongly criticised the renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), saying the move strips the rural employment programme of its core essence. His remarks came after Parliament cleared the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, also referred to as the VB-G RAM G Bill.

Speaking to media, Tharoor said the decision to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme “takes out the heart” of the rural employment programme that has been in place for years. He noted that the identity and philosophy associated with Mahatma Gandhi were central to the original law.

Tharoor also objected to the way the new name was framed, arguing that it unnecessarily combined multiple languages. He pointed out that the Constitution envisages the use of one language in legislation, while the Bill’s title mixes English and Hindi terms such as “Guarantee”, “Rozgar” and “Ajeevika”, along with the conjunction “and”.

‘Disrespect to both names’

The Congress leader said that inserting the word “Ram” while dropping Mahatma Gandhi’s name amounted to disrespecting both. Referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas, Tharoor said that for Gandhi, the concepts of Gram Swaraj and Ram Rajya were inseparable, and removing his name from a rural employment law went against that vision.

He added that the name of Lord Ram could be used in many contexts, but questioned the rationale behind excluding Mahatma Gandhi from a programme closely linked to his philosophy of village self-rule.

Protests over passage of the Bill

The VB-G RAM G Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on December 18 and cleared by the Rajya Sabha in the early hours of December 19 amid protests from Opposition members. Several MPs opposed the manner in which the legislation was pushed through, with scenes of sloganeering and tearing of papers in the House.

Outside Parliament, members of the Trinamool Congress staged a sit-in protest near Samvidhan Sadan against the passage of the Bill. Congress also announced nationwide protests earlier this week, accusing the government of weakening rights-based welfare schemes.

Despite opposition criticism, the government has maintained that the new law will strengthen rural employment and livelihood security. The Bill raises the guaranteed employment from 100 days to 125 days per rural household and outlines a 60:40 cost-sharing formula between the Centre and states, with a higher central share for northeastern, Himalayan states and certain Union Territories.

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Rahul Gandhi attacks G RAM G bill, says move against villages and states

Rahul Gandhi has criticised the G RAM G bill cleared by Parliament, alleging it dilutes the rights-based structure of MGNREGA and centralises control over rural employment.

Published

2 days ago

on

December 19, 2025

By

Rahul Gandhi

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has launched a sharp attack on the Modi government after Parliament cleared the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) Bill, commonly referred to as the ‘G RAM G’ bill. He described the proposed law as “anti-state” and “anti-village”, arguing that it weakens the core spirit of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

The new legislation, which is positioned as an updated version of MGNREGA, was passed amid protests by opposition parties and is expected to replace the existing scheme once it receives presidential assent.

‘Bulldozed without scrutiny’, says Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi criticised the manner in which the bill was cleared, saying it was pushed through Parliament without adequate debate or examination. He pointed out that the opposition’s demand to refer the bill to a standing committee was rejected.

According to him, any law that fundamentally alters the rural employment framework and affects crores of workers should undergo detailed scrutiny, expert consultation and public hearings before approval.

Claim of dilution of rights-based guarantee

Targeting the central government, the Congress leader said the proposed law dismantles the rights-based and demand-driven nature of MGNREGA and replaces it with a rationed system controlled from Delhi. He argued that this shift undermines the autonomy of states and villages.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that the intent behind the move is to centralise power and weaken labour, particularly impacting rural communities such as Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis.

Defence of MGNREGA’s impact

Highlighting the role of MGNREGA, Gandhi said the scheme provided rural workers with bargaining power, reduced distress migration and improved wages and working conditions, while also contributing to rural infrastructure development.

He also recalled the role of MGNREGA during the Covid period, stating that it prevented crores of people from slipping into hunger and debt. According to him, any rationing of a jobs programme first affects women, landless workers and the poorest communities.

Opposition to name change and provisions

The Congress has also objected to the renaming of the scheme, accusing the government of attempting to erase the legacy associated with Mahatma Gandhi. Opposition MPs staged a dharna within the Parliament complex, questioning provisions of the bill that they claim dilute the “soul and spirit” of the original law enacted in 2005.

Under MGNREGA, the government guaranteed 100 days of work in rural areas along with an unemployment allowance if work was not provided. The ‘G RAM G’ bill proposes to raise the guaranteed workdays to 125, while retaining other provisions. However, critics have flagged concerns over employment being linked to pre-approved plans.

The bill was cleared after a midnight voice vote in the Rajya Sabha, following its passage in the Lok Sabha amid protests and walkouts. It will become law once approved by the President.

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AAP dominates Punjab zila parishad polls, leads in most panchayat samiti zones

AAP has won 201 out of 317 declared zila parishad zones in Punjab so far and is leading in a majority of panchayat samiti seats, with counting still underway.

Published

3 days ago

on

December 18, 2025

By

Punjab Zila Parishad Polls

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has recorded a strong performance in the Punjab zila parishad elections and is leading in the majority of panchayat samiti zones, as per results declared so far on Thursday. The counting process is still underway and complete results are awaited, officials said.

Polling for the rural local bodies was held on December 14 to elect representatives across 347 zones of 22 zila parishads and 2,838 zones of 153 panchayat samitis in the state.

AAP secures clear edge in zila parishads

According to the available results, outcomes have been declared for 317 zila parishad zones so far. Of these, the AAP has won 201 zones, placing it well ahead of other parties.

The Congress emerged second with victories in 60 zones, followed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) with 39 zones. The BJP won four zones, the BSP secured three, while independents claimed 10 zones.

District-wise data shows that the AAP won 22 zones in Hoshiarpur, 19 each in Amritsar and Patiala, 17 each in Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur, and 15 zones in Sangrur. The Congress registered its best performances in Gurdaspur and Ludhiana with eight zones each, followed by Jalandhar with seven zones. The SAD performed strongly in Bathinda with 13 zones, while the BJP managed to win four zones in Pathankot.

AAP leads in panchayat samiti results

In the panchayat samiti elections, trends declared so far indicate that the AAP is leading in a majority of zones. However, officials clarified that counting is ongoing and the final picture will be clear only after all ballot papers are tallied.

Kejriwal, Mann reject opposition allegations

Reacting to the trends, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal said the party’s performance reflected strong rural support for the Bhagwant Mann government’s work. Addressing the media in Mohali along with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Kejriwal dismissed allegations of irregularities raised by opposition parties.

He said the elections were conducted in a fair and free manner and claimed that the results so far showed a clear wave in favour of the AAP in rural Punjab. Kejriwal stated that nearly 70 per cent of the zila parishad and panchayat samiti seats had gone in favour of the party.

Congress, SAD question poll conduct

The Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal, however, accused the ruling party of misusing official machinery. Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that the AAP had “stolen” the rural mandate and claimed that the results did not reflect genuine public support.

Opposition parties had earlier also accused the AAP government of high-handedness during the polling process, allegations that the ruling party has strongly denied.

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