Modi govt was abetting 2002 Gujarat riots: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government was responsible for "abetting and pushing" the 2002 Gujarat riots while the Congress government tried to stop the 1984 riots, Rahul Gandhi said today but offered no apology for the anti-Sikh violence of the past.

Pitted against Modi in a virtual Presidential-style contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi said he was not scared of him and claimed that Congress will defeat BJP.

Rahul Gandhi. AFP

Making a direct attack on Modi, he said, "the fact of the matter is that innocent people died in 1984 and innocent people dying is a horrible thing and should not happen. The difference between Gujarat and 1984 was that the government of Gujarat was involved in the riots."

Asked in an interview to Times Now as to how he could say that when Modi has been given a clean chit by the courts, Gandhi said, "... he was the Chief Minister when the Gujarat riots happened... The government in Gujarat was actually abetting and pushing the riots further."

Seeking to differentiate the role of governments during the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi and 2002 in Gujarat, he said, "the simple difference is that in 1984, the government was not involved in the massacre of people. In Gujarat it was."

He insisted that the Congress government in 1984 "was not aiding and abetting the riots" but had tried to stop the violence.

When pressed further on how he could attack Modi on the Gujarat riots, Gandhi said, "it is not me. It is a large number of people who saw actively the government of Gujarat being involved in the riots.

"I mean, people saw it. I am not the person who saw it. Your colleagues saw it. Your colleagues told me. They saw the administration actively attacking the minorities," he said.

To questions whether he would apologise for the 1984 riots and whether he felt that there was no need for it, Gandhi said, "First of all, I wasn't involved in the riots at all. It wasn't that I was a part of it."

At the same time, he admitted that "some Congress men were probably involved in 1984 anti-Sikh riots and they have been punished for it".

When asked if he would apologise on behalf of Congress party Rahul Gandhi said, "I think that riots, as all riots, were a horrible event. Frankly, I was not in operation in Congress party then."

When asked if he agreed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's view that Modi presided over the "mass massacre" of innocents on the streets of Ahmedabad, Gandhi said, "what the Prime Minister is saying is the fact. Gujarat happened and people died."

Asked if he was avoiding a direct face-off with Modi by not becoming the Prime Ministerial candidate of the Congress, the Congress Vice President said, "to understand that question, you have to understand a little bit, who Rahul Gandhi is and you get an answer to the question to what Rahul Gandhi is scared of and not scared of."

To a question as to what was his view of BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate, he said, "I think, we will defeat the BJP in the next elections....I will win the election. I am reasonably confident."

He added that Congress was "battle ready" and "going to win".

Asked if he would take responsibility if Congress doesn't win the election, he said, "if we don't win, I am the Vice President of the party. I will take responsibility."

On naming Modi as PM candidate, he said, "BJP believes in concentration of power in one person. I fundamentally disagree with that. I believe in democracy. I believe in opening of the system... We have fundamentally different philosophies."

When told that Rahul Gandhi had avoided the whole question about whether he was open to PM's post and avoiding a difficult contest, Gandhi referred to his speech at the AICC meet and said announcing a PM candidate before an election is "announcing your PM without asking your MPs. It is not actually written in the Constitution."

When told that the Congress did announce a PM candidate in 2009, Gandhi denied this.

He avoided giving a direct reply to questions on whether political parties should be brought under the purview of RTI, saying the Parliament should decide on it if political parties are unanimous on this. "My position is that the more openness, the better."

Asked why Congress protected former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan despite a judicial commission's indictment, Gandhi said the party had taken action wherever corruption was involved.

He said he made his position clear on Chavan after the Maharashtra Cabinet had rejected the judicial commission's findings.

On corruption charges against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, he said, "there is a legal process. Follow it and conclude it."

With regard to performance of the Aam Aadmi Party, he said, "there are things how they have reached out to people. Don't take that away from them."

To questions about dynasty politics, Gandhi said " I did not choose to be born in this family. I am absolutely against the concept of dynasty. But it happens in BJP, SP, DMK and Congress everywhere."

He said he was being personally attacked because he is doing things that are dangerous to the system.

Rahul Gandhi was also asked about Subramanian Swamy's jibes at him, where Swamy had claimed that Gandhi's claim to an M Phil from Oxford University was a lie. "You want me to show you my degree, I can show you my degree. He has probably seen my degree, I have given a sworn affidavit saying that I have got these degrees, If I am lying on these affidavits let him take the legal process and solve it, what more do you want me to do."

When asked if he would like to challenge Swamy, Gandhi said, "Why should I challenge him? He's been attacking my family for 40 years. Why should I challenge him?"

Gandhi carefully avoided the question when he was asked if he would participate in a debate with the contenders for prime minister he said, "There is a national debate taking place right now. The national debate taking place right now is the following. There is the Congress Party that believes in openness, that believes in RTI, that believes in Panchayati Raj, that believes in giving people power. And there is our Opposition that believes in concentrated power. That's the debate that's taking place. That's what the election is all about."

Meanwhile to Modi's remark that he would do in 60 months what the Congress couldn't in 6o years, Gandhi said, "My response to that is that in the last 10 years, we gave the country the fastest economic growth it has ever had. My response is that, we did more for opening up the system than any government before us," he said.

"My response is that we have completely changed the paradigm with our rights based development model. We have given MGNREGA which has transformed the rural economy. We are talking about Aadhar which is going to give money directly to the people. To just brush aside the idea that Congress party has been in power for 60 years, we are growing at the rate at which we are growing because of the Congress party," Gandhi added.

Finally, when asked if he was battle ready, Gandhi confidently said that he was. "Battle ready, of course. We're going to win," Gandhi said.

With inputs from PTI

Live: We will win Lok Sabha polls, says Rahul Gandhi

 10.30 pm: Rahul Gandhi's solution all problems: 'opening up the system'

So Rahul Gandhi was questioned on price rise, Narendra Modi, dynasty, RTI, his political ambitions, his degrees and Arvind Kejriwal. Each of his answers boiled to just one declaration - cleansing of the system. While Rahul is not exactly the quintessential outsider, a part of his image building exercise leaned heavily on this stance - that of an insider who is almost an outsider in the way he is critical of the established traditions of politics and governance. While we have always wondered how he can legitimately defend the stance, it is just today that he revealed how - by choosing to not to defend it, instead avoid talking about it.

Asked if he was going to apologise for the 1984 riots, Gandhi said, "I was not even a functional part of the Congress party then." After much grilling, he did manage to admit that 'some Congressmen' might have been involved in the 1984 riots'. However, he completely avoided clearing the air about the Congress' present stance about the 1984 Sikh riots by offering compliments for the Sikh community. "They are the most industrious community ever."

Though this was a question that did not merit to be asked in place, given Subhramanian Swamy is famous for his indiscretions, Goswami asked Gandhi to respond to Swamy's allegations about his education. After grilling Goswami about his education Rahul suggested Swamy should take a legal route to prove that his degrees are false.

Asked if the UPA has disappointed him as it failed to control price rise, Gandhi said, " I am working with the PM on the price rise issue. Women form the backbone of the country and they seem troubled by this price rise."

Asked if he wants to be the PM candidate, Rahul said he doesn't want to disrespect the decision of MPs so he will take whatever role the party gives him till the elections. Did he say he is ready to be Congress PM candidate? No prizes for guessing, he didn't.

Yes, there was probably one true moment of self reflection amid all this. "You might think I am an anomaly in this environment. I am anomaly in this environment". Just when you thought he would elaborate on this and at least sweep up a sympathy thumbs up, he moves on to something equally obscure to finally comment on the Chinese manufacturing industry. "People from abroad always keep coming to me all the time." Okay, Vipassana resort owners can take heart, Gandhi is not eating into their business. "People come from abroad asking for an alternative for Chinese manufacturing business."

Like Firstpost editor Lakshmi Chaudhry notes, though Rahul might have assured voters of his sincerity, he also laid bare that he neither has a concrete plan, nor a clear agenda about governance. In fact, from his repeated references to 'system' and how it needs to be cleansed, without specifying how, he seemed uncannily like Arvind Kejriwal -  only less aggressive.

In fact, he concluded his interview saying, "Of course we will win". Only, one can bet, he himself didn't find his tone reassuring.

9.45 pm: Rahul Gandhi explains Rahul Gandhi to Arnab Goswami

"What does Rahul Gandhi want? Who is Rahul Gandhi?" were the deeply existential question that the Congress Vice President sought to answer in his first TV interview in many years. And in the course of it he has revealed to the world that 'system' and 'youngster' is to his political discourse, what chiffon sarees and the Swiss Alps is to a Yash Raj film. Be it questions about dynasty, be it questions about the RTI: all of Rahul's answers boiled down to just one idea - opening up the system to youngsters.

Asked if the Congress is going to reprimand Ashok Chavan and Virbhadra Singh, Gandhi said, "My goal is to open the system up for the youngsters." "I am going to take on the system, I have to open up the system," he said when he was asked about Subhramanian Swamy's accusations against him. Asked how he deals with accusations of nepotism, he again added, "I didn't choose to to be born into this family. I can run away from this, or I can make a difference. And I want to get youngsters involved in the system."

9.00 pm: 'You have to understand who Rahul Gandhi is to conclude what he is scared of'

"I have lost my loved ones, I am not scared of losing anything else," says Gandhi. Ten minutes into Rahul Gandhi's interview, these were the only lines that the Congress Vice-President said without looking like a high school kid faced with a particularly difficult trigonometry problem. Like we already pointed out, Gandhi is at his evasive best. Though Goswami has goaded him to answer his questions 'specifically' and 'categorically', Gandhi even refused to call Modi by his name - he only chose to refer to him as 'opposition'.

Rahul seems to have little concern for what either the nation, or what Goswami wants to know. He seems to have decided to treat the viewers and the host with rehashed versions of his older speeches, meeting all questions with a deeply worried look. Asked is Congress is right on pinning the blame for the 2002 rights on Narendra Modi, when the SC has exonerated him, Gandhi says, "There is a difference between 1984 riots and 2002 riots. In 2002, the Gujarat government was involved in the riots, they were not trying to stop it. In 1984, the government was trying to stop the riots," says Rahul Gandhi.

8.55 pm: Will Brand Rahul be resuscitated? 

Apart from being the party's vice president, Rahul Gandhi also happens to be Congress' worst kept secret. From his alleged 'to be, or not to be PM candidate' dilemma to the several self goals he has scored on behalf of the party, Rahul has been a bigger enigma for Congress than the party's opponents or voters. While everyone from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Finance Minister P Chidambaram has gone on record to express their confidence in Rahul as a Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections, the Congress VC has remained tight-lipped about his role in the party.

The prolonged confusion and criticism about his role in the Congress partially stems from the fact that his public relations has been patchy at its best. Though the mainstream media is sort of familiar with his ever-smiling yet ever-evasive persona, in this Twitter-age, Rahul's public relations misses a necessary social media edge, unlike is adversary Narendra Modi. Apart from that, he rarely meets the media individually in the way of interviews.

Rahul Gandhi. Reuters.

The idea of Rahul Gandhi, therefore, is strictly built on his televised public addresses, many of which the general middle class voters have neither time or patience for. Even if carefully screened and orchestrated, Narendra Modi still has some direct public interactions to his credit, including a Google Hangout session. Modi is active on Twitter and has addressed everything from college functions to foundation stone-laying ceremonies where he finds a legitimate opportunity to pillory the Congress and promote his politics of development.

Though Sonia Gandhi has declared that Rahul will not be declared the party's PM candidate, there seems to be a visible movement in that direction. From the posters branding Rahul as the anti-corruption ninja to the TV commercials on Congress' success concluding with the face of Rahul playing the perfect political poster-boy right to the starched white kurta pajama and I'm-going-to-fix-the-world smile, it's impossible to deny that the Modi's Congress counterpart, at least for this election, is Rahul Gandhi.

Also, there has been a slow but steady progress on the public relations front. From print interview in several years given to Dainik Bhaskar to his widely televised 'interactions' with panchayat members and women activists in several districts, Rahul's public relations vehicle has slowly taken off. The latest in the itinerary, therefore, is a television interview. To be conducted on Times Now by Arnab Goswami, Gandhi has worked up quite a Twitter storm by turning up to be interviewed by Goswami.

If his print interview is anything to go by, Gandhi might possibly maintain a elusive aura, only half answering questions lobbed at him. However, if he has important announcements to make and ideas to promote, without a melee of reporters mobbing him, this is probably his best chance at it. Will Brand Rahul take a step forward with this Times Now interview? We'll know in a bit.

Modi govt responsible for abetting 2002 riots: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government was responsible for "abetting and pushing" the 2002 Gujarat riots while the Congress government tried to stop the 1984 riots, Rahul Gandhi said today but offered no apology for the anti-Sikh violence of the past.

Pitted against Modi in a virtual Presidential-style contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi said he was not scared of him and claimed that Congress will defeat BJP.

Rahul Gandhi. AFP

Making a direct attack on Modi, he said, "the fact of the matter is that innocent people died in 1984 and innocent people dying is a horrible thing and should not happen. The difference between Gujarat and 1984 was that the government of Gujarat was involved in the riots."

Asked in an interview to Times Now as to how he could say that when Modi has been given a clean chit by the courts, Gandhi said, "... he was the Chief Minister when the Gujarat riots happened... The government in Gujarat was actually abetting and pushing the riots further."

Seeking to differentiate the role of governments during the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi and 2002 in Gujarat, he said, "the simple difference is that in 1984, the government was not involved in the massacre of people. In Gujarat it was."

He insisted that the Congress government in 1984 "was not aiding and abetting the riots" but had tried to stop the violence.

When pressed further on how he could attack Modi on the Gujarat riots, Gandhi said, "it is not me. It is a large number of people who saw actively the government of Gujarat being involved in the riots.

"I mean, people saw it. I am not the person who saw it. Your colleagues saw it. Your colleagues told me. They saw the administration actively attacking the minorities," he said.

To questions whether he would apologise for the 1984 riots and whether he felt that there was no need for it, Gandhi said, "First of all, I wasn't involved in the riots at all. It wasn't that I was a part of it."

At the same time, he admitted that "some Congress men were probably involved in 1984 anti-Sikh riots and they have been punished for it".

When asked if he would apologise on behalf of Congress party Rahul Gandhi said, "I think that riots, as all riots, were a horrible event. Frankly, I was not in operation in Congress party then."

When asked if he agreed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's view that Modi presided over the "mass massacre" of innocents on the streets of Ahmedabad, Gandhi said, "what the Prime Minister is saying is the fact. Gujarat happened and people died."

Asked if he was avoiding a direct face-off with Modi by not becoming the Prime Ministerial candidate of the Congress, the Congress Vice President said, "to understand that question, you have to understand a little bit, who Rahul Gandhi is and you get an answer to the question to what Rahul Gandhi is scared of and not scared of."

To a question as to what was his view of BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate, he said, "I think, we will defeat the BJP in the next elections....I will win the election. I am reasonably confident."

He added that Congress was "battle ready" and "going to win".

Asked if he would take responsibility if Congress doesn't win the election, he said, "if we don't win, I am the Vice President of the party. I will take responsibility."

On naming Modi as PM candidate, he said, "BJP believes in concentration of power in one person. I fundamentally disagree with that. I believe in democracy. I believe in opening of the system... We have fundamentally different philosophies."

When told that Rahul Gandhi had avoided the whole question about whether he was open to PM's post and avoiding a difficult contest, Gandhi referred to his speech at the AICC meet and said announcing a PM candidate before an election is "announcing your PM without asking your MPs. It is not actually written in the Constitution."

When told that the Congress did announce a PM candidate in 2009, Gandhi denied this.

He avoided giving a direct reply to questions on whether political parties should be brought under the purview of RTI, saying the Parliament should decide on it if political parties are unanimous on this. "My position is that the more openness, the better."

Asked why Congress protected former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan despite a judicial commission's indictment, Gandhi said the party had taken action wherever corruption was involved.

He said he made his position clear on Chavan after the Maharashtra Cabinet had rejected the judicial commission's findings.

On corruption charges against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, he said, "there is a legal process. Follow it and conclude it."

With regard to performance of the Aam Aadmi Party, he said, "there are things how they have reached out to people. Don't take that away from them."

To questions about dynasty politics, Gandhi said " I did not choose to be born in this family. I am absolutely against the concept of dynasty. But it happens in BJP, SP, DMK and Congress everywhere."

He said he was being personally attacked because he is doing things that are dangerous to the system.

Rahul Gandhi was also asked about Subramanian Swamy's jibes at him, where Swamy had claimed that Gandhi's claim to an M Phil from Oxford University was a lie. "You want me to show you my degree, I can show you my degree. He has probably seen my degree, I have given a sworn affidavit saying that I have got these degrees, If I am lying on these affidavits let him take the legal process and solve it, what more do you want me to do."

When asked if he would like to challenge Swamy, Gandhi said, "Why should I challenge him? He's been attacking my family for 40 years. Why should I challenge him?"

Gandhi carefully avoided the question when he was asked if he would participate in a debate with the contenders for prime minister he said, "There is a national debate taking place right now. The national debate taking place right now is the following. There is the Congress Party that believes in openness, that believes in RTI, that believes in Panchayati Raj, that believes in giving people power. And there is our Opposition that believes in concentrated power. That's the debate that's taking place. That's what the election is all about."

Meanwhile to Modi's remark that he would do in 60 months what the Congress couldn't in 6o years, Gandhi said, "My response to that is that in the last 10 years, we gave the country the fastest economic growth it has ever had. My response is that, we did more for opening up the system than any government before us," he said.

"My response is that we have completely changed the paradigm with our rights based development model. We have given MGNREGA which has transformed the rural economy. We are talking about Aadhar which is going to give money directly to the people. To just brush aside the idea that Congress party has been in power for 60 years, we are growing at the rate at which we are growing because of the Congress party," Gandhi added.

Finally, when asked if he was battle ready, Gandhi confidently said that he was. "Battle ready, of course. We're going to win," Gandhi said.

With inputs from PTI

Over 60% Delhiites will choose AAP if polls held again: Survey

New Delhi: Sixty-three percent Delhiites would vote for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) if the state assembly polls were held tomorrow, a survey revealed here Monday.

A total 51 percent of the city's electorate also said they would vote for the AAP if general elections were held tomorrow.

The ABP News-Nielsen opinion poll, conducted Jan 25 and 26, interviewed over 1,500 people. It said: "Almost two-thirds majority, 63 percent of respondents surveyed said they will vote for the AAP if Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections were held tomorrow."

AAP volunteer. AFP image

The survey said 55 percent Delhiites felt that Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti's action against an alleged "sex and drugs ring" that involved African women would have a negative impact on the AAP's image though 40 percent felt otherwise.

Reacting to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's subsequent dharna (sit-in) demanding action against policemen who allegedly did not cooperate with Bharti during the raid, 50 percent said it was not right as against 48 percent who justified the over 30-hour roadside protest.

According to the opinion poll, the majority of the respondents (55 percent) rated overall performance of the chief minister in the last one month "very good" or "good" with a mean score of 3.5 which implies an above-average performance. Twelve percent rated his performance as "poor" and four percent "very poor".

When asked to vote for a party in the Lok Sabha polls, 51 percent said they would vote for the AAP if general elections were held tomorrow.

However, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi continues to be the most popular candidate to lead the nation.

Fifty percent Delhiites said they wanted Modi as prime minister while 37 percent chose Kejriwal and 10 percent preferred Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi.

"It would appear that 14 percent of those who said they would vote for AAP in the Lok Sabha elections, would prefer someone other than Kejriwal as PM," said the survey.

IANS

Delhi Cabinet likely to pass Jan Lokpal Bill tomorrow

New Delhi: The Jan Lokpal Bill is likely to be approved by the Delhi Cabinet tomorrow as its draft has almost been finalised by a panel headed by Chief Secretary.

Arvind Kejriwal. PTI image

According to an official, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today held a long discussion on the Bill in a meeting attended by lawyer and AAP leader Prashant Bhushan, advocate Rahul Mehra, Cabinet ministers and senior government officials.

"The Cabinet meeting is likely to be held tomorrow (Tuesday) and the agenda is Jan Lokpal Bill," said the official.

A source said the government is taking all steps to meet its February first week's deadline to pass the anti-corruption Bill in a special session of Delhi Assembly from Ramlila ground. On a query about Delhi Police's reported objections on holding Assembly session in Ramlila ground citing law and order issue, he said the government was taking one step at a time and would address the matter once it is ready with the draft and approval from the Cabinet.

The anti-corruption Bill is largely based on Uttarakhand Lokayukta Bill. However, it differs on some points, including the inclusion of chief minister in its ambit, the official said. The meeting, which was chaired by Kejriwal to discuss the fine prints of the bill, went on for around two hours. Soon after assuming the office on December 28, Kejriwal had said his government would pass the promised Jan Lokpal Bill from Ramlila ground by the first week of February.

A committee headed by the Chief Secretary and secretaries of Urban Development, Law and Finance departments, besides eminent advocate Rahul Mehra has been given the responsibility of drafting the Jan Lokpal Bill.

In its election manifesto for Delhi Assembly election, AAP had promised to cover all the officials and employees of Delhi Government, from the Chief Minister to MLAs.

Meanwhile, as the AAP government completed its one month, Kejriwal held a review meeting of the ministers and sought
reports on the work carried out by them in the intervening period.

PTI

Live: Gujarat govt was involved in 2002 riots, says Rahul Gandhi

9.00 pm: 'You have to understand who Rahul Gandhi is to conclude what he is scared of'

"I have lost my loved ones, I am not scared of losing anything else," says Gandhi. Ten minutes into Rahul Gandhi's interview, these were the only lines that the Congress Vice-President said without looking like a high school kid faced with a particularly difficult trigonometry problem. Like we already pointed out, Gandhi is at his evasive best. Though Goswami has goaded him to answer his questions 'specifically' and 'categorically', Gandhi even refused to call Modi by his name - he only chose to refer to him as 'opposition'.

8.55 pm: Will Brand Rahul be resuscitated? 

Apart from being the party's vice president, Rahul Gandhi also happens to be Congress' worst kept secret. From his alleged 'to be, or not to be PM candidate' dilemma to the several self goals he has scored on behalf of the party, Rahul has been a bigger enigma for Congress than the party's opponents or voters. While everyone from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Finance Minister P Chidambaram has gone on record to express their confidence in Rahul as a Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections, the Congress VC has remained tight-lipped about his role in the party.

The prolonged confusion and criticism about his role in the Congress partially stems from the fact that his public relations has been patchy at its best. Though the mainstream media is sort of familiar with his ever-smiling yet ever-evasive persona, in this Twitter-age, Rahul's public relations misses a necessary social media edge, unlike is adversary Narendra Modi. Apart from that, he rarely meets the media individually in the way of interviews.

Rahul Gandhi. Reuters.

The idea of Rahul Gandhi, therefore, is strictly built on his televised public addresses, many of which the general middle class voters have neither time or patience for. Even if carefully screened and orchestrated, Narendra Modi still has some direct public interactions to his credit, including a Google Hangout session. Modi is active on Twitter and has addressed everything from college functions to foundation stone-laying ceremonies where he finds a legitimate opportunity to pillory the Congress and promote his politics of development.

Though Sonia Gandhi has declared that Rahul will not be declared the party's PM candidate, there seems to be a visible movement in that direction. From the posters branding Rahul as the anti-corruption ninja to the TV commercials on Congress' success concluding with the face of Rahul playing the perfect political poster-boy right to the starched white kurta pajama and I'm-going-to-fix-the-world smile, it's impossible to deny that the Modi's Congress counterpart, at least for this election, is Rahul Gandhi.

Also, there has been a slow but steady progress on the public relations front. From print interview in several years given to Dainik Bhaskar to his widely televised 'interactions' with panchayat members and women activists in several districts, Rahul's public relations vehicle has slowly taken off. The latest in the itinerary, therefore, is a television interview. To be conducted on Times Now by Arnab Goswami, Gandhi has worked up quite a Twitter storm by turning up to be interviewed by Goswami.

If his print interview is anything to go by, Gandhi might possibly maintain a elusive aura, only half answering questions lobbed at him. However, if he has important announcements to make and ideas to promote, without a melee of reporters mobbing him, this is probably his best chance at it. Will Brand Rahul take a step forward with this Times Now interview? We'll know in a bit.

Rahul Live: ‘Gujarat govt was involved in 2002 riots’

9.00 pm: 'You have to understand who Rahul Gandhi is to conclude what he is scared of'

"I have lost my loved ones, I am not scared of losing anything else," says Gandhi. Ten minutes into Rahul Gandhi's interview, these were the only lines that the Congress Vice-President said without looking like a high school kid faced with a particularly difficult trigonometry problem. Like we already pointed out, Gandhi is at his evasive best. Though Goswami has goaded him to answer his questions 'specifically' and 'categorically', Gandhi even refused to call Modi by his name - he only chose to refer to him as 'opposition'.

8.55 pm: Will Brand Rahul be resuscitated? 

Apart from being the party's vice president, Rahul Gandhi also happens to be Congress' worst kept secret. From his alleged 'to be, or not to be PM candidate' dilemma to the several self goals he has scored on behalf of the party, Rahul has been a bigger enigma for Congress than the party's opponents or voters. While everyone from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Finance Minister P Chidambaram has gone on record to express their confidence in Rahul as a Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections, the Congress VC has remained tight-lipped about his role in the party.

The prolonged confusion and criticism about his role in the Congress partially stems from the fact that his public relations has been patchy at its best. Though the mainstream media is sort of familiar with his ever-smiling yet ever-evasive persona, in this Twitter-age, Rahul's public relations misses a necessary social media edge, unlike is adversary Narendra Modi. Apart from that, he rarely meets the media individually in the way of interviews.

Rahul Gandhi. Reuters.

The idea of Rahul Gandhi, therefore, is strictly built on his televised public addresses, many of which the general middle class voters have neither time or patience for. Even if carefully screened and orchestrated, Narendra Modi still has some direct public interactions to his credit, including a Google Hangout session. Modi is active on Twitter and has addressed everything from college functions to foundation stone-laying ceremonies where he finds a legitimate opportunity to pillory the Congress and promote his politics of development.

Though Sonia Gandhi has declared that Rahul will not be declared the party's PM candidate, there seems to be a visible movement in that direction. From the posters branding Rahul as the anti-corruption ninja to the TV commercials on Congress' success concluding with the face of Rahul playing the perfect political poster-boy right to the starched white kurta pajama and I'm-going-to-fix-the-world smile, it's impossible to deny that the Modi's Congress counterpart, at least for this election, is Rahul Gandhi.

Also, there has been a slow but steady progress on the public relations front. From print interview in several years given to Dainik Bhaskar to his widely televised 'interactions' with panchayat members and women activists in several districts, Rahul's public relations vehicle has slowly taken off. The latest in the itinerary, therefore, is a television interview. To be conducted on Times Now by Arnab Goswami, Gandhi has worked up quite a Twitter storm by turning up to be interviewed by Goswami.

If his print interview is anything to go by, Gandhi might possibly maintain a elusive aura, only half answering questions lobbed at him. However, if he has important announcements to make and ideas to promote, without a melee of reporters mobbing him, this is probably his best chance at it. Will Brand Rahul take a step forward with this Times Now interview? We'll know in a bit.

Rahul Live: Some Congressmen might have been involved in 1984 riots

9.00 pm: 'You have to understand who Rahul Gandhi is to conclude what he is scared of'

"I have lost my loved ones, I am not scared of losing anything else," says Gandhi.

8.55 pm: Will Brand Rahul be resuscitated? 

Apart from being the party's vice president, Rahul Gandhi also happens to be Congress' worst kept secret. From his alleged 'to be, or not to be PM candidate' dilemma to the several self goals he has scored on behalf of the party, Rahul has been a bigger enigma for Congress than the party's opponents or voters. While everyone from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Finance Minister P Chidambaram has gone on record to express their confidence in Rahul as a Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections, the Congress VC has remained tight-lipped about his role in the party.

The prolonged confusion and criticism about his role in the Congress partially stems from the fact that his public relations has been patchy at its best. Though the mainstream media is sort of familiar with his ever-smiling yet ever-evasive persona, in this Twitter-age, Rahul's public relations misses a necessary social media edge, unlike is adversary Narendra Modi. Apart from that, he rarely meets the media individually in the way of interviews.

Rahul Gandhi. Reuters.

The idea of Rahul Gandhi, therefore, is strictly built on his televised public addresses, many of which the general middle class voters have neither time or patience for. Even if carefully screened and orchestrated, Narendra Modi still has some direct public interactions to his credit, including a Google Hangout session. Modi is active on Twitter and has addressed everything from college functions to foundation stone-laying ceremonies where he finds a legitimate opportunity to pillory the Congress and promote his politics of development.

Though Sonia Gandhi has declared that Rahul will not be declared the party's PM candidate, there seems to be a visible movement in that direction. From the posters branding Rahul as the anti-corruption ninja to the TV commercials on Congress' success concluding with the face of Rahul playing the perfect political poster-boy right to the starched white kurta pajama and I'm-going-to-fix-the-world smile, it's impossible to deny that the Modi's Congress counterpart, at least for this election, is Rahul Gandhi.

Also, there has been a slow but steady progress on the public relations front. From print interview in several years given to Dainik Bhaskar to his widely televised 'interactions' with panchayat members and women activists in several districts, Rahul's public relations vehicle has slowly taken off. The latest in the itinerary, therefore, is a television interview. To be conducted on Times Now by Arnab Goswami, Gandhi has worked up quite a Twitter storm by turning up to be interviewed by Goswami.

If his print interview is anything to go by, Gandhi might possibly maintain a elusive aura, only half answering questions lobbed at him. However, if he has important announcements to make and ideas to promote, without a melee of reporters mobbing him, this is probably his best chance at it. Will Brand Rahul take a step forward with this Times Now interview? We'll know in a bit.

Live: Rahul says he is Arjun, and Modi isn’t his target

9.00 pm: 'You have to understand who Rahul Gandhi is to conclude what he is scared of'

"I have lost my loved ones, I am not scared of losing anything else," says Gandhi.

8.55 pm: Will Brand Rahul be resuscitated? 

Apart from being the party's vice president, Rahul Gandhi also happens to be Congress' worst kept secret. From his alleged 'to be, or not to be PM candidate' dilemma to the several self goals he has scored on behalf of the party, Rahul has been a bigger enigma for Congress than the party's opponents or voters. While everyone from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Finance Minister P Chidambaram has gone on record to express their confidence in Rahul as a Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections, the Congress VC has remained tight-lipped about his role in the party.

The prolonged confusion and criticism about his role in the Congress partially stems from the fact that his public relations has been patchy at its best. Though the mainstream media is sort of familiar with his ever-smiling yet ever-evasive persona, in this Twitter-age, Rahul's public relations misses a necessary social media edge, unlike is adversary Narendra Modi. Apart from that, he rarely meets the media individually in the way of interviews.

Rahul Gandhi. Reuters.

The idea of Rahul Gandhi, therefore, is strictly built on his televised public addresses, many of which the general middle class voters have neither time or patience for. Even if carefully screened and orchestrated, Narendra Modi still has some direct public interactions to his credit, including a Google Hangout session. Modi is active on Twitter and has addressed everything from college functions to foundation stone-laying ceremonies where he finds a legitimate opportunity to pillory the Congress and promote his politics of development.

Though Sonia Gandhi has declared that Rahul will not be declared the party's PM candidate, there seems to be a visible movement in that direction. From the posters branding Rahul as the anti-corruption ninja to the TV commercials on Congress' success concluding with the face of Rahul playing the perfect political poster-boy right to the starched white kurta pajama and I'm-going-to-fix-the-world smile, it's impossible to deny that the Modi's Congress counterpart, at least for this election, is Rahul Gandhi.

Also, there has been a slow but steady progress on the public relations front. From print interview in several years given to Dainik Bhaskar to his widely televised 'interactions' with panchayat members and women activists in several districts, Rahul's public relations vehicle has slowly taken off. The latest in the itinerary, therefore, is a television interview. To be conducted on Times Now by Arnab Goswami, Gandhi has worked up quite a Twitter storm by turning up to be interviewed by Goswami.

If his print interview is anything to go by, Gandhi might possibly maintain a elusive aura, only half answering questions lobbed at him. However, if he has important announcements to make and ideas to promote, without a melee of reporters mobbing him, this is probably his best chance at it. Will Brand Rahul take a step forward with this Times Now interview? We'll know in a bit.

Somanth Bharti Bharti deletes tweet slamming President’s anarchy jibe

New Delhi: Criticising President Pranab Mukherjee's comment against "populist anarchy", Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti Monday asked in a tweet whether the 1984 and 2002 riots were agitations? He later deleted the tweet.

"If AAP actions were Anarchy, what would Hon President consider 1984 and 2002 riots as? Agitation? Lol. A good joke Mr President !!!" Bharti tweeted earlier in the day, indirectly pointing fingers at the Congress for the anti-Sikh riots in 1984 and the Bharatiya Janata Party for the 2002 riots in Gujarat.

Somnath Bharti. Image from Facebook

Bharti deleted the tweet in the evening.

Mukherjee, in his Republic Day address to the nation Sunday, made a veiled attack on the Aam Aadmi Party government and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying that "populist anarchy" was no substitute for governance.

IANS

Andhra CM’s stand on Telangana Bill doesn’t go down well with Centre

New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy's effort to move a resolution in the state Assembly to return the Telangana bifurcation bill has not gone down well with the Centre.

A senior Minister, who is a member of the Group of Ministers (GoM) which finalised the Telangana draft bill, today asserted that the UPA Government has decided to form Telangana and a "complete bill" will be presented in Parliament's Budget Session "addressing all issues and
concerns".

A file photo of protests against Telangana. AFP

"He (Kiran) was not sound enough on the Constitution," the Minister, who did not want to be named, said when asked about the Chief Minister's allegation that the Bill violated not only Parliamentary procedures but also the Constitution.

He said that the Centre has referred the Telangana Bill to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly seeking its opinion and its acceptance is not mandatory as the Constitution clearly states that the issue of formation of a new state is purely with the Centre.

"States cannot interfere in the subject," the minister, who is also a key Congress leader, said. He quoted earlier instances in which the Supreme Court has clearly said that subject was with the Union Government.

Meanwhile, sources said the GoM constituted to carve out Telangana would meet once again after 30 January to undertake a final exercise on the matter.

Andhra Pradesh Assembly witnessed dramatic scenes with ministers from Telangana region demanding that the Chief Minister should quit as they no longer recognised him as leader of the House.

Deputy Chief Minister C Damodara Rajanarasimha led the banner of revolt demanding that Kiran step down, while some other ministers from the region opposed the Chief Minister's move in the Assembly itself.

However, an apparently unfazed Chief Minister and ministers from Seemaandhra were closeted in a meeting, and decided to "go ahead" with their objective of defeating the bill, referred to the Assembly by the President seeking its view.

PTI

Telangana bill in accordance with constitution, says Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi/Hyderabad: Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh Monday said the Telangana bill was prepared and referred to Andhra Pradesh legislature in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.

Talking to reporters in the national capital, he said it was not proper for Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy or ministers from Seemandhra to say that the bill is faulty.

Jairam Ramesh. PTI image

"There may be differences on the bill but there are no mistakes," said the central minister when asked to comment on the chief minister's allegation that the bill is full of mistakes.

Ramesh pointed out that Andhra Pradesh Reorganistaion Bill 2013 was prepared by the Group of Ministers (GoM) and was approved by the union cabinet before the President referred it to the state legislature.

The central minister, who is a member of GoM, remarked that the bill is the property of the state legislature till Jan 30. He also said only the opinion of the legislature was sought.

On the chief minister's remark that the central government is not clear whether original bill or draft bill was sent to state legislature, Ramesh said bill and draft bill were one and same.

Responding to the central minister's comment, Kiran Reddy wanted to know whether it was his personal opinion or the central government's view. He further said if this was the central government's view, it has to give the same in writing.

The chief minister told reporters in Hyderabad Monday that the original bill was not sent to the legislature and hence he gave a notice to assembly speaker for moving a resolution to reject the bill.

Kiran Reddy argued that only the original bill which is to be introduced in parliament has to be sent to the state legislature for its opinion.

IANS

Dikshit’s rumoured RS nomination: End of an era

New Delhi: Speculation is rife about three-time Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit's possible nomination as the Congress party's Rajya Sabha candidate from Haryana.

According to a PTI report, the Congress High Command is keen to "accommodate" Dikshit for her successful 15-year stint as the Delhi's chief minister. Ahead of the Delhi Assembly election in December, Dikshit had fended off questions about the possibility of her taking on national by directing the focus on outcome of the election results. She had, however, not ruled out taking on a national role saying that she was open to the idea.

Pre-2013 assembly election, Dikshit's winning streak had drawn comparisons to the other very successful chief minister and now BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi.

Sheila Dikshit. Reuters.

As India's longest serving woman chief minister, Dikshit had aggressively countered Modi's development model with her own track record in Delhi ahead of the Delhi elections.Seen as able administrator who saw through the successful transition of the public transport to CNG and the expansion of the ambitious Delhi metro, Dikshit had managed to winover Capital's middle class who voted for in significant numbers in the 2008 election.

But the final months of what was to be her final term saw an irreversible anti-incumbency wave that ended up almost wiping out Congress in assembly elections. Reduced from over 42 seats it won in 2008 to eight seats in 2014, Dikshit was faced with her worst electoral performance. The veteran Congress leader lost her New Delhi seat to Aam Admi Party's Arvind Kejrwal whoseincredible debut would see him succeed her as Delhi's Chief Minister.

The Congress party's rout in Delhi and Dikshit's shock defeat left a big question mark on Dikshit's political future. But the party is not known for abandoning its loyalists. Dikshit's closeness to Congress President Sonia Gandhi has held her in good stead and is likely to continue to do so.

Should the Congress announce Dikshit as their Rajya Sabha candidate from Haryana, it will mark the end of Dikshit era in Delhi and the beginning of a generational shift in the Congress leadership in Delhi.The transition in favour of younger faces in the Delhi Congress is already apparent with the appointment of the young and pro-active Arvinder Singh Lovely as Delhi state congress chief in the place of the older J P Aggarwal, who resigned from the post Delhi Pradesh Congress chief following the poll debacle.

The nomination, if should come through, will also rule out Dikshit as the face of the next election Congress will fight in Delhi, which looks likely to held sooner than later, if one were to go by the noises being made by expelled AAP MLA Vinod Kumar about the unrest within the party.

According to PTI, the party's candidates from Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh are expected to be announced today.
Tomorrow is the last date for filing nominations for Rajya Sabha polls which is scheduled for February 7.

Cong makes clear it is in no hurry to reconsider its support to AAP

New Delhi: Congress on Monday made it clear that it was in no hurry to reconsider its support to the AAP government in Delhi, but expressed disappointment over its functioning and also condemned the criticism by its minister Somnath Bharti of President Pranab Mukherjee's speech on the eve of the Republic Day.

"While arriving at a decision (to support AAP), various factors were taken into consideration... it's not that today we are extending support and tomorrow we will withdraw it.

Representational image. Reuters

"We do not decide such things in a light manner... We will keep patience," senior Congress spokesperson Mukul Wasnik told reporters at an AICC meeting.

Wasnik stressed that Congress was aware of the situation in Delhi and would minutely observe the developments.

"No deadline as such has been given (to AAP to fulfill the promises made in its manifesto). We gave them support to form the government because we wanted to avoid the burden of another election on the people of Delhi.

"Unfortunately, the speed with which they should have moved forward is not there," Wasnik added.

Wasnik, meanwhile, refused to go into the controversy surrounding the expulsion of AAP MLA Vinod Kumar Binny, who today met the Delhi LG over issues which he claimed have not been addressed by the Kejriwal government.

Binny is learnt to have also demanded action against controversial law minister Somnath Bharti.

Wasnik, however, condemned AAP when it was pointed out that Bharti had criticized President Pranab Mukherjee's "populist anarchy" remarks.

"Various statements keep coming from AAP. It is unfortunate that somebody makes such comments even on the President's remarks. We strongly condemn this," he said.

Bharti had referred to the President's comments in a tweet in which he appeared to juxtapose the recent agitation by AAP in Delhi with the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 and the post-Godhra riots of 2002 in Gujarat. The Delhi law minister later denied the post which has now been removed from his twitter.com page.

PTI

Sheila Dikshit deposits Rs 5,000 as costs for absence in court

New Delhi: Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today deposited in a Delhi court Rs 5,000 as costs imposed on her for non-appearance in a defamation case lodged by her against BJP leader Vijender Gupta.

Dikshit, who was earlier directed by the court to remain present before it without any excuse, did not turn up before Metropolitan Magistrate Neha and sought a day's exemption from personal appearance.

Sheila Dikshit. PTI

Dikshit application was opposed by Gupta with his counsel asking the court to impose more costs on her.

However, the judge said "today is the first day... and she has received the file by way of transfer. So no cost will be imposed".

The judge said that the amount imposed on her has already been paid through her proxy counsel. To which, Gupta also an ex-president of BJP's Delhi unit, said he does not want to keep the money.

"I am giving this money to my party workers, so that they can buy blankets for poor people, dying due to cold," Gupta said, adding that it will be done today itself.

The court, however, allowed Dikshit's application for exemption from personal appearance for today only and listed the matter for "pre charge evidence" on 2 July.

The court on 6 August, 2013 framed criminal defamatio charges against Gupta in the complaint filed by Dikshit.

Dikshit had filed a complaint against Gupta alleging that the BJP leader had used "uncivilised" language against her in the run up to the MCD polls in 2012 while accusing her of helping and conniving with power companies.

Dikshit, who is the complainant in the case, was earlier directed to appear without failing before the court, for her examination and cross examination.

PTI

Binny calls off 5-hour ‘hunger strike’, gives AAP 10 days to act

New Delhi: Expelled Aam Aadmi Party MLA Vinod Kumar Binny,  who had started a hunger strike today to protest against AAP and its leader Arvind Kejriwal, called off the strike. His hunger strike barely lasted five hours. Binny said that he was calling off the strike on the request of Anna Hazare, who had written to him saying that perhaps Binny should give more time to Kejriwal and the AAP government.

Binny has said he will give the AAP government and Kejriwal a deadline of ten days to fulfil the promises they had made to the people of Delhi, after which he will explore other methods to mount pressure. Binny and his supporters had gathered today at Janta Mantar to protest against the Kejriwal government. Yesterday, AAP had announced that it was expelling the rebel MLA for 'indiscipline.'

The rebel AAP MLA also questioned the grounds on which he was expelled. "I asked the right questions about the promises made to the people and I'm expelled for indiscipline. They call me greedy for a post. But why are they not expelling those who misbehaved with women, those who insulted foreign women," he asked targeting Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti.

Binny also alleged that Kejriwal wants the government to fail, as he has already set his sets on Lok Sabha 2014 elections.

Binny at the protest. Shruti Dhapola/Firstpost

At Binny's protest, India Against Corruption members were also seen supporting the rebel MLA. They were spotted waving the Indian National Flag. One IAC member then went on stage to say that, "Anna Hazare was shocked and upset to hear that Binny had been expelled by the party. Annaji has given his full support to Binny."

Binny, who addressed the crowd of close to 200 people, said that AAP and Kejriwal had cheated the people of Delhi. He raised the question of the Jan Lokpal bill, the issue of free water and electricity, which was promised by the AAP.

"Where is Annaji's Jan Lokpal bill? Kejriwal had promised that it would be passed within 15 days. Why has it not been passed, asked Binny.

He also said that Kejriwal had betrayed the people on the issue of water and electricity. He repeated everything he had said in the press conference he addressed a few days ago.

"In the manifesto they cleverly inserted the clause that anyone who used more than 700 litres of water would have to pay for the whole amount. They cheated the people of Delhi. Kejriwal also asked people not pay electricity bills, promising them that they would reduce their bills by 50 percent. They didn't do that and instead added the limit of 400 units. Now those people who didn't pay the bills, have bills worth lakhs pending. They have been betrayed by Arvind Kejriwal and AAP," said Binny.

Binny also alleged that the party was functioning in a dictatorial manner and there was no difference between AAP and Congress and BJP. "In AAP, four or five people take all the decisions. The Lok Sabha election candidates are all fixed. It was the same in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections. Manish Sisodia had come to me and asked to me contest from Laxminagar, even before the candidates were announced. I wanted to contest from Patparganj because I had worked there," said Binny. Sisodia is currently the MLA from Patparganj.

The expelled AAP leader also slammed the issue of women's security. "Where is the commando force? You (AAP) had promised a force and it is yet to be formed. Why the AAP government silent on all the gangrapes that are taking place in Delhi day after day," he said.

Binny also got the support of Tina Sharma, AAP leader and former BJP member, who said that Kejriwal's silence on the issue of women's safety was damning. She said that if the CM was really honest, he should come on stage and debate with Binny on the real issues.

Modi is misguiding nation on Gandhi, Sardar Patel: Congress

Rajkot: Bringing the issue of legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel back in public discourse, Congress today accused BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi of "misguiding" the common people on leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and the independent India's first home minister.

Narendra Modi. AFP image

"People of the state are being misguided about Sardar Patel and I want to ask a question to those who are talking about constructing the 'Statue of Unity' that why were they silent despite being in power for more than one-and-half decades", said Union Minister of Mines Dinshaw Patel.

He was speaking on the occasion of inaugurating Rajkot-Sarai Rohilla (Delhi) weekly express train service here.

The "statue of unity" is said to be the dream project of the Gujarat chief minister who had last year laid the foundation stone for the statue coming up near Sardar Sarovar dam project. "They (leaders) are talking about spending crores of
rupees on the project but have contributed nothing to Sardar Patel museum at Shahibaug in Ahmedabad", said Patel, also the chairman of Sardar Patel Memorial Society.

He also accused the state government of working only for the benefit of corporates, saying the UPA government at Centre has taken a number of steps for welfare of the common man in the fields of health and education. On the train service, he said the train would run every Thursday between Rajkot and Sarai Rohilla (Delhi) and return to Rajkot on every Friday.

PTI

Rahul is Congress’ PM candidate in purdah: Arun Jaitley

New Delhi: BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Monday called Rahul Gandhi Congress' prime ministerial candidate in "purdah" (veil), questioning why the party's campaign centres around him even when he is not the official candidate for the top post. "...the campaign is centred around one person, who is the Congress Party's 'candidate in purdah'," he said in a blog post.

Rahul Gandhi. AFP.

"The entire campaign is centred around Rahul Gandhi. However, Rahul Gandhi indeed is a non candidate for prime ministership (since the party has no official candidate). Why is it that the campaign is centred around him?" he said, claiming the Congress does not want to admit that it is officially projecting Gandhi as an adverse result may make him accountable.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also questioned the huge cost being incurred on the Congress' campaign much ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. "The normal practice has been that with the filing of nomination papers, advertisement starts and picks up during the two weeks permitted for campaigning," said Jaitley, the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

It is "obvious" Congress has a "huge budget for advertising, if advertising is spread over four months", he alleged. Calling it an image building exercise for Gandhi, Jaitley took a jibe at him saying: "Advertising can market a marketable product, not otherwise."

IANS

 

Ministers from Telangan region oppose CM’s stand on bill

Hyderabad: Ministers from Andhra Pradesh's Telangana region have raised a banner of revolt against Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy after he described the AP Reorganisation Bill-2013, referred to the state Legislature by the President, as unconstitutional.

Deputy Chief Minister C Damodara Rajanarasimha demanded that Reddy step down while some other ministers from the region made known their displeasure by opposing the chief minister's move on the floor of the Assembly.

Representational image. AFP

"We are not recognising Kiran as Leader of the House. He has insulted ministers from Telangana (by seeking to move a resolution to return the Bill to the Centre). He should resign from the CM's post forthwith," the Deputy CM demanded today.

He said the decision to move such a resolution, in the name of the government, was taken without consulting the Council of Ministers, which is "highly objectionable" and against the "spirit of collective responsibility."

"Under the Constitution, government means Council of Ministers and no individual minister, including the Chief Minister, can call himself the government," he said.

"By trooping into the Well of the House, the ministers (from Telangana) indirectly indicated that they are no longer part of the government," he noted.

Separately, Information Technology Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah wrote a letter to the Governor taking "strong objection" to the chief minister's move.

"The Council of Ministers never discussed it (th proposed resolution), much less approved it, for being moved in the Legislature. It's a serious issue and deserves your immediate attention," Ponnala said in the letter.

Apparently unfazed by their Telangana colleagues' objections, ministers from Seemaandhra region were closeted in a meeting with Kiran Reddy and decided to "go ahead" with the sole objective of defeating the Bill in the Legislature.

Interestingly, they also decided to seek more time from the President, for returning the Bill, citing the disruption of the House proceedings by Telangana legislators, including ministers.

The President originally gave time till 23 January and subsequently extended it till the 30th for the Legislature to express its views and return the Bill.

PTI

98 lakh people over India have joined AAP: AAP leader Gopal Rai

New Delhi: As many as 98 lakh people from all over India have joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), senior party leader Gopal Rai said Monday.

"Till Jan 26, a total of 98 lakh people have joined the party from all over the country," he said at a press conference at the party office here. He said the membership drive will continue till the Lok Sabha elections.

Representational image of AAP volunteer. Reuters image

Giving the breakup, he said 76 lakh people have joined the party through the form registration service, seven lakh people through the online service, five lakh through SMS and 10 lakh by "missed calls".

The AAP had launched a free membership drive early this month, targeting enrolment of one crore members by Jan 26.

IANS

 

Binny calls off 5-hour ‘hunger strike’, gives Kejriwal 10 days to act

New Delhi: Expelled Aam Aadmi Party MLA Vinod Kumar Binny,  who had started a hunger strike today to protest against AAP and its leader Arvind Kejriwal, called off the strike. His hunger strike barely lasted five hours. Binny said that he was calling off the strike on the request of Anna Hazare, who had written to him saying that perhaps Binny should give more time to Kejriwal and the AAP government.

Binny has said he will give the AAP government and Kejriwal a deadline of ten days to fulfil the promises they had made to the people of Delhi, after which he will explore other methods to mount pressure. Binny and his supporters had gathered today at Janta Mantar to protest against the Kejriwal government. Yesterday, AAP had announced that it was expelling the rebel MLA for 'indiscipline.'

The rebel AAP MLA also questioned the grounds on which he was expelled. "I asked the right questions about the promises made to the people and I'm expelled for indiscipline. They call me greedy for a post. But why are they not expelling those who misbehaved with women, those who insulted foreign women," he asked targeting Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti.

Binny also alleged that Kejriwal wants the government to fail, as he has already set his sets on Lok Sabha 2014 elections.

Binny at the protest. Shruti Dhapola/Firstpost

At Binny's protest, India Against Corruption members were also seen supporting the rebel MLA. They were spotted waving the Indian National Flag. One IAC member then went on stage to say that, "Anna Hazare was shocked and upset to hear that Binny had been expelled by the party. Annaji has given his full support to Binny."

Binny, who addressed the crowd of close to 200 people, said that AAP and Kejriwal had cheated the people of Delhi. He raised the question of the Jan Lokpal bill, the issue of free water and electricity, which was promised by the AAP.

"Where is Annaji's Jan Lokpal bill? Kejriwal had promised that it would be passed within 15 days. Why has it not been passed, asked Binny.

He also said that Kejriwal had betrayed the people on the issue of water and electricity. He repeated everything he had said in the press conference he addressed a few days ago.

"In the manifesto they cleverly inserted the clause that anyone who used more than 700 litres of water would have to pay for the whole amount. They cheated the people of Delhi. Kejriwal also asked people not pay electricity bills, promising them that they would reduce their bills by 50 percent. They didn't do that and instead added the limit of 400 units. Now those people who didn't pay the bills, have bills worth lakhs pending. They have been betrayed by Arvind Kejriwal and AAP," said Binny.

Binny also alleged that the party was functioning in a dictatorial manner and there was no difference between AAP and Congress and BJP. "In AAP, four or five people take all the decisions. The Lok Sabha election candidates are all fixed. It was the same in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections. Manish Sisodia had come to me and asked to me contest from Laxminagar, even before the candidates were announced. I wanted to contest from Patparganj because I had worked there," said Binny. Sisodia is currently the MLA from Patparganj.

The expelled AAP leader also slammed the issue of women's security. "Where is the commando force? You (AAP) had promised a force and it is yet to be formed. Why the AAP government silent on all the gangrapes that are taking place in Delhi day after day," he said.

Binny also got the support of Tina Sharma, AAP leader and former BJP member, who said that Kejriwal's silence on the issue of women's safety was damning. She said that if the CM was really honest, he should come on stage and debate with Binny on the real issues.

Binny calls off 5-hour ‘hunger strike’ on Anna’s request

New Delhi: Expelled Aam Aadmi Party MLA Vinod Kumar Binny,  who had started a hunger strike today to protest against AAP and its leader Arvind Kejriwal, called off the strike. His hunger strike barely lasted five hours. Binny said that he was calling off the strike on the request of Anna Hazare, who had written to him saying that perhaps Binny should give more time to Kejriwal and the AAP government.

Binny has said he will give the AAP government and Kejriwal a deadline of ten days to fulfil the promises they had made to the people of Delhi, after which he will explore other methods to mount pressure. Binny and his supporters had gathered today at Janta Mantar to protest against the Kejriwal government. Yesterday, AAP had announced that it was expelling the rebel MLA for 'indiscipline.'

The rebel AAP MLA also questioned the grounds on which he was expelled. "I asked the right questions about the promises made to the people and I'm expelled for indiscipline. They call me greedy for a post. But why are they not expelling those who misbehaved with women, those who insulted foreign women," he asked targeting Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti.

Binny also alleged that Kejriwal wants the government to fail, as he has already set his sets on Lok Sabha 2014 elections.

Binny at the protest. Shruti Dhapola/Firstpost

At Binny's protest, India Against Corruption members were also seen supporting the rebel MLA. They were spotted waving the Indian National Flag. One IAC member then went on stage to say that, "Anna Hazare was shocked and upset to hear that Binny had been expelled by the party. Annaji has given his full support to Binny."

Binny, who addressed the crowd of close to 200 people, said that AAP and Kejriwal had cheated the people of Delhi. He raised the question of the Jan Lokpal bill, the issue of free water and electricity, which was promised by the AAP.

"Where is Annaji's Jan Lokpal bill? Kejriwal had promised that it would be passed within 15 days. Why has it not been passed, asked Binny.

He also said that Kejriwal had betrayed the people on the issue of water and electricity. He repeated everything he had said in the press conference he addressed a few days ago.

"In the manifesto they cleverly inserted the clause that anyone who used more than 700 litres of water would have to pay for the whole amount. They cheated the people of Delhi. Kejriwal also asked people not pay electricity bills, promising them that they would reduce their bills by 50 percent. They didn't do that and instead added the limit of 400 units. Now those people who didn't pay the bills, have bills worth lakhs pending. They have been betrayed by Arvind Kejriwal and AAP," said Binny.

Binny also alleged that the party was functioning in a dictatorial manner and there was no difference between AAP and Congress and BJP. "In AAP, four or five people take all the decisions. The Lok Sabha election candidates are all fixed. It was the same in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections. Manish Sisodia had come to me and asked to me contest from Laxminagar, even before the candidates were announced. I wanted to contest from Patparganj because I had worked there," said Binny. Sisodia is currently the MLA from Patparganj.

The expelled AAP leader also slammed the issue of women's security. "Where is the commando force? You (AAP) had promised a force and it is yet to be formed. Why the AAP government silent on all the gangrapes that are taking place in Delhi day after day," he said.

Binny also got the support of Tina Sharma, AAP leader and former BJP member, who said that Kejriwal's silence on the issue of women's safety was damning. She said that if the CM was really honest, he should come on stage and debate with Binny on the real issues.

Binny calls off 5-hour hunger strike on Anna’s request

New Delhi: Expelled Aam Aadmi Party MLA Vinod Kumar Binny,  who had started a hunger strike today to protest against AAP and its leader Arvind Kejriwal, called off the strike. His hunger strike barely lasted five hours. Binny said that he was calling off the strike on the request of Anna Hazare, who had written to him saying that perhaps Binny should give more time to Kejriwal and the AAP government.

Binny has said he will give the AAP government and Kejriwal a deadline of ten days to fulfil the promises they had made to the people of Delhi, after which he will explore other methods to mount pressure. Binny and his supporters had gathered today at Janta Mantar to protest against the Kejriwal government. Yesterday, AAP had announced that it was expelling the rebel MLA for 'indiscipline.'

The rebel AAP MLA also questioned the grounds on which he was expelled. "I asked the right questions about the promises made to the people and I'm expelled for indiscipline. They call me greedy for a post. But why are they not expelling those who misbehaved with women, those who insulted foreign women," he asked targeting Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti.

Binny also alleged that Kejriwal wants the government to fail, as he has already set his sets on Lok Sabha 2014 elections.

Binny at the protest. Shruti Dhapola/Firstpost

At Binny's protest, India Against Corruption members were also seen supporting the rebel MLA. They were spotted waving the Indian National Flag. One IAC member then went on stage to say that, "Anna Hazare was shocked and upset to hear that Binny had been expelled by the party. Annaji has given his full support to Binny."

Binny, who addressed the crowd of close to 200 people, said that AAP and Kejriwal had cheated the people of Delhi. He raised the question of the Jan Lokpal bill, the issue of free water and electricity, which was promised by the AAP.

"Where is Annaji's Jan Lokpal bill? Kejriwal had promised that it would be passed within 15 days. Why has it not been passed, asked Binny.

He also said that Kejriwal had betrayed the people on the issue of water and electricity. He repeated everything he had said in the press conference he addressed a few days ago.

"In the manifesto they cleverly inserted the clause that anyone who used more than 700 litres of water would have to pay for the whole amount. They cheated the people of Delhi. Kejriwal also asked people not pay electricity bills, promising them that they would reduce their bills by 50 percent. They didn't do that and instead added the limit of 400 units. Now those people who didn't pay the bills, have bills worth lakhs pending. They have been betrayed by Arvind Kejriwal and AAP," said Binny.

Binny also alleged that the party was functioning in a dictatorial manner and there was no difference between AAP and Congress and BJP. "In AAP, four or five people take all the decisions. The Lok Sabha election candidates are all fixed. It was the same in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections. Manish Sisodia had come to me and asked to me contest from Laxminagar, even before the candidates were announced. I wanted to contest from Patparganj because I had worked there," said Binny. Sisodia is currently the MLA from Patparganj.

The expelled AAP leader also slammed the issue of women's security. "Where is the commando force? You (AAP) had promised a force and it is yet to be formed. Why the AAP government silent on all the gangrapes that are taking place in Delhi day after day," he said.

Binny also got the support of Tina Sharma, AAP leader and former BJP member, who said that Kejriwal's silence on the issue of women's safety was damning. She said that if the CM was really honest, he should come on stage and debate with Binny on the real issues.