As Arvind Kejriwal drums up support among Opposition leaders against the Centre’s ordinance that wrested control of ‘services’ from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the Capital, two former Delhi MPs have emerged as the voices and faces of the distrust the Congress continues to nurse against him.While other Delhi Congress leaders — who witnessed the AAP’s rapid rise in the city’s politics over the last decade and continue to smart from it — have maintained a low profile, Ajay Maken and Sandeep Dikshit have been publicly and aggressively vocal in cautioning the Congress high command against the Delhi Chief Minister’s direct and indirect overtures.Days after the Delhi and Punjab units of the Congress called on the high command and told them to “keep Kejriwal at arm’s length” for “intra-party cohesion”,Dikshit and Maken sharpened their attack on the Delhi CM over the ordinance.“Kejriwal is well aware that he will be sent to jail for 8-10 years if he does not get control of the Vigilance Department,” Dikshit said, adding that he supported the ordinance against the AAP government.Maken joined the chorus, alleging that the AAP convenor’s “true motives” stood exposed, as he had openly sought “enhanced powers over services, aiming to take control over the Vigilance Department”, thus challenging decades of established governance norms. This is a point he has consistently argued since the ordinance was issued.“He conveniently downplays his true intentions. Investigations into scandals like Liquor gate, ‘Sheesh-mahal (Kejriwal’s Rs 171-crore residence…), power subsidy scam, bus purchases scam and others, will reveal the extent of corruption within his administration. And this is what he wants to stop,” Maken tweeted.Speaking to The Indian Express, Dikshit said: “Any Congressman will be chucked out of the party if they make any statement against its national leadership. Then how can the party think of allying with the AAP, whose leader Kejriwal has made more vile statements against the Congress’s national leadership than even PM Modi?”Both Maken and Dikshit also questioned the AAP over its “support of the BJP” on critical issues like Article 370. “What about the removal of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir by the BJP-led Centre, which he [Kejriwal] supported, or not signing the Congress’s impeachment motion against [former CJI] Dipak Misra, or not signing the no-confidence motion against the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson that immediately followed?” Dikshit added.A senior Congress leader said that following the duo’s example, other Delhi Congress leaders are “gradually emerging” with sharp criticism of Kejriwal, especially after the latter issued a public appeal to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, seeking a meeting.According to Congress sources, there are two main prickly issues standing between the AAP and Congress. The first is what the Congress insiders describe as “unforgettable, patently false and malicious propaganda” against both its national and local [Delhi] leadership, “on the basis of which Kejriwal came to power”. The second is a Delhi Assembly resolution after the AAP formed its second successive government, demanding retraction of the Bharat Ratna conferred on former PM Rajiv Gandhi – neither of which, the insiders say, will “change or be forgotten”.While senior AAP leaders acknowledge that a united Opposition is key to defeating the BJP, the role that the Congress will play in it is still not clear. The AAP has shared stage with the Congress in the past, but an alliance has not come through since 2013, when the Congress had extended outside support to let the AAP form the government in the city. Before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, alliance talks between the two parties lasted for months, but ended in a deadlock.While Maken — a former Delhi and Union minister — has never minced his words regarding the AAP and its convenor, it is former East Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit, the son of the late three-time Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit, who had taken the first potshot, in March this year.On a day when Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh marched to Parliament against the Centre, along with other Opposition leaders, on a host of issues, Dikshit and a group of former Delhi government ministers filed a complaint with Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena against the AAP government and Kejriwal over the now-defunct Feed Back Unit (the AAP’s rivals claim it was used to spy on them). Alleging sedition, they demanded a trial under the UAPA, the anti-terror law.Afterwards, when the CBI summoned the Delhi CM for questioning in the alleged excise policy scam, Maken tweeted that Kejriwal “should not be shown any sympathy or support”, and asked his party colleagues who are lawyers not to represent Kejriwal or the Delhi government in the case.Regarding the ordinance, a senior Delhi Congress leader said the party believed the BJP would “somehow be able to push the legislation through”, so aligning with the AAP on this issue was “not worth it”.Another leader argued that Kejriwal was merely “using the ordinance as a bogey” to make it “appear as if he is the lone voice” fighting for the Constitution. “He wants to look like a self-styled saviour of the Constitution, because he is embroiled in corruption charges that have dented his image. It’s a trap. He is seeking vindication,” the leader alleged.At a meeting with Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, K C Venugopal and others on Monday on the issue, leaders of the Congress’s Delhi and Punjab units argued strongly against extending any support to the AAP. “Delhi Congress leaders spoke against supporting the AAP on the ordinance. However, former Delhi Congress chiefs Arvinder Singh Lovely and Subhash Chopra held that supporting the ordinance was warranted, given the Congress’s previous demand for more administrative powers to an elected government in Delhi. However, both said the final decision was up to the high command,” a source said.On its part, not only did the AAP disparage Maken and Dikshit by questioning their current standing within the Congress, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj also accused the duo of “misleading” their own leaders, given that Sheila Dikshit had herself introduced a motion as CM in the Delhi Assembly on September 11, 2002, demanding more powers for Delhi’s elected government compared to the LG.Bharadwaj also tweeted that the motion moved by Sheila Dikshit had made the exact same point that the AAP had made in the Supreme Court, saying, “Amendment in Rules or any order of the Centre cannot take away special status of Delhi which is provided by the Constitution under Art 239 AA. So why are Delhi Congress leaders misleading Mr @RahulGandhi?”Maken said he had never claimed that as Delhi CM, Sheila Dikshit hadn’t sought full statehood or more authority. Rather, he said, Kejriwal wants to gain “unique privileges previously denied to CMs like Sheila Dikshit, Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma and Sushma Swaraj”.Speaking to The Indian Express, he said, “This ordinance is a diversionary tactic by Kejriwal, whose public image has been severely dented after he was caught on the wrong foot on various scams. He is trying to divert public attention from these.”Sandeep Dikshit said, “Which political leader wouldn’t seek more power? But the fact is that when Mrs Dikshit did so, it was within the contours of the Constitution, just like her administration worked within the powers conferred upon her by the Constitution.”
As Arvind Kejriwal drums up support among Opposition leaders against the Centre’s ordinance that wrested control of ‘services’ from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the Capital, two former Delhi MPs have emerged as the voices and faces of the distrust the Congress continues to nurse against him.While other Delhi Congress leaders — who witnessed the AAP’s rapid rise in the city’s politics over the last decade and continue to smart from it — have maintained a low profile, Ajay Maken and Sandeep Dikshit have been publicly and aggressively vocal in cautioning the Congress high command against the Delhi Chief Minister’s direct and indirect overtures.Days after the Delhi and Punjab units of the Congress called on the high command and told them to “keep Kejriwal at arm’s length” for “intra-party cohesion”,Dikshit and Maken sharpened their attack on the Delhi CM over the ordinance.“Kejriwal is well aware that he will be sent to jail for 8-10 years if he does not get control of the Vigilance Department,” Dikshit said, adding that he supported the ordinance against the AAP government.Maken joined the chorus, alleging that the AAP convenor’s “true motives” stood exposed, as he had openly sought “enhanced powers over services, aiming to take control over the Vigilance Department”, thus challenging decades of established governance norms. This is a point he has consistently argued since the ordinance was issued.“He conveniently downplays his true intentions. Investigations into scandals like Liquor gate, ‘Sheesh-mahal (Kejriwal’s Rs 171-crore residence…), power subsidy scam, bus purchases scam and others, will reveal the extent of corruption within his administration. And this is what he wants to stop,” Maken tweeted.Speaking to The Indian Express, Dikshit said: “Any Congressman will be chucked out of the party if they make any statement against its national leadership. Then how can the party think of allying with the AAP, whose leader Kejriwal has made more vile statements against the Congress’s national leadership than even PM Modi?”Both Maken and Dikshit also questioned the AAP over its “support of the BJP” on critical issues like Article 370. “What about the removal of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir by the BJP-led Centre, which he [Kejriwal] supported, or not signing the Congress’s impeachment motion against [former CJI] Dipak Misra, or not signing the no-confidence motion against the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson that immediately followed?” Dikshit added.A senior Congress leader said that following the duo’s example, other Delhi Congress leaders are “gradually emerging” with sharp criticism of Kejriwal, especially after the latter issued a public appeal to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, seeking a meeting.According to Congress sources, there are two main prickly issues standing between the AAP and Congress. The first is what the Congress insiders describe as “unforgettable, patently false and malicious propaganda” against both its national and local [Delhi] leadership, “on the basis of which Kejriwal came to power”. The second is a Delhi Assembly resolution after the AAP formed its second successive government, demanding retraction of the Bharat Ratna conferred on former PM Rajiv Gandhi – neither of which, the insiders say, will “change or be forgotten”.While senior AAP leaders acknowledge that a united Opposition is key to defeating the BJP, the role that the Congress will play in it is still not clear. The AAP has shared stage with the Congress in the past, but an alliance has not come through since 2013, when the Congress had extended outside support to let the AAP form the government in the city. Before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, alliance talks between the two parties lasted for months, but ended in a deadlock.While Maken — a former Delhi and Union minister — has never minced his words regarding the AAP and its convenor, it is former East Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit, the son of the late three-time Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit, who had taken the first potshot, in March this year.On a day when Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh marched to Parliament against the Centre, along with other Opposition leaders, on a host of issues, Dikshit and a group of former Delhi government ministers filed a complaint with Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena against the AAP government and Kejriwal over the now-defunct Feed Back Unit (the AAP’s rivals claim it was used to spy on them). Alleging sedition, they demanded a trial under the UAPA, the anti-terror law.Afterwards, when the CBI summoned the Delhi CM for questioning in the alleged excise policy scam, Maken tweeted that Kejriwal “should not be shown any sympathy or support”, and asked his party colleagues who are lawyers not to represent Kejriwal or the Delhi government in the case.Regarding the ordinance, a senior Delhi Congress leader said the party believed the BJP would “somehow be able to push the legislation through”, so aligning with the AAP on this issue was “not worth it”.Another leader argued that Kejriwal was merely “using the ordinance as a bogey” to make it “appear as if he is the lone voice” fighting for the Constitution. “He wants to look like a self-styled saviour of the Constitution, because he is embroiled in corruption charges that have dented his image. It’s a trap. He is seeking vindication,” the leader alleged.At a meeting with Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, K C Venugopal and others on Monday on the issue, leaders of the Congress’s Delhi and Punjab units argued strongly against extending any support to the AAP. “Delhi Congress leaders spoke against supporting the AAP on the ordinance. However, former Delhi Congress chiefs Arvinder Singh Lovely and Subhash Chopra held that supporting the ordinance was warranted, given the Congress’s previous demand for more administrative powers to an elected government in Delhi. However, both said the final decision was up to the high command,” a source said.On its part, not only did the AAP disparage Maken and Dikshit by questioning their current standing within the Congress, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj also accused the duo of “misleading” their own leaders, given that Sheila Dikshit had herself introduced a motion as CM in the Delhi Assembly on September 11, 2002, demanding more powers for Delhi’s elected government compared to the LG.Bharadwaj also tweeted that the motion moved by Sheila Dikshit had made the exact same point that the AAP had made in the Supreme Court, saying, “Amendment in Rules or any order of the Centre cannot take away special status of Delhi which is provided by the Constitution under Art 239 AA. So why are Delhi Congress leaders misleading Mr @RahulGandhi?”Maken said he had never claimed that as Delhi CM, Sheila Dikshit hadn’t sought full statehood or more authority. Rather, he said, Kejriwal wants to gain “unique privileges previously denied to CMs like Sheila Dikshit, Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma and Sushma Swaraj”.Speaking to The Indian Express, he said, “This ordinance is a diversionary tactic by Kejriwal, whose public image has been severely dented after he was caught on the wrong foot on various scams. He is trying to divert public attention from these.”Sandeep Dikshit said, “Which political leader wouldn’t seek more power? But the fact is that when Mrs Dikshit did so, it was within the contours of the Constitution, just like her administration worked within the powers conferred upon her by the Constitution.”
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at four places, including the premises of close associates of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, in connection with a money laundering probe it had launched on the Delhi government’s now-scrapped liquor policy.MP Singh alleged that ED has raided the houses of two of his associates – Ajit Tyagi and Sarvesh Mishra – in relation to the Delhi excise policy case. “Sarvesh’s father is suffering from cancer. This (the raid) is torturous,” Singh said.An official said they are currently conducting searches in four places – belonging to Puneet Tyagi, Ajit Tyagi, Amit Goyal and Sarvesh Mishra. “During the questioning of businessman Dinesh Arora and Amit Arora, the director of Buddy Retail Pvt. Ltd, the ED got to know about these four persons and they are conducting searches to get some evidence,” a source said.The ED case, which was registered in September last year, is based on a CBI FIR filed in August. The CBI had booked Sisodia, three excise department officials and several vendors and distributors among the 15 accused it had arraigned in its FIR.मोदी की दादागिरी चरम पर है।मैं मोदी की तानाशाही के ख़िलाफ़ लड़ रहा हूँ।ED की फर्जी जाँच को पूरे देश के सामने उजागर किया।ED ने मुझसे गलती मानी।जब कुछ नही मिला तो आज मेरे सहयोगियों अजीत त्यागी और सर्वेश मिश्रा के घर ED ने छापा मारा है।सर्वेश के पिता कैंसर से पीड़ित हैं ये… pic.twitter.com/4mwfV7j9GV— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) May 24, 2023 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThe CBI FIR had stated: “Praveen Kumar Rai, Director, MHA… has conveyed directions of the competent authority for enquiry into the matter of irregularities in framing and implementation of the excise policy of GNCTD of Delhi for the year 2021-22 by Central Bureau of Investigation. He has also forwarded a letter of L-G Vinai Kumar Saxena alleging irregularities in framing and implementation of the excise policy.”“The OM is enclosed herewith, which discloses that Manish Sisodia, Deputy CM; Arava Gopi Krishna, then Commissioner (Excise); Anand Tiwari, then Deputy Commissioner (Excise); and Pankaj Bhatnagar, Assistant Commissioner (Excise) were instrumental in recommending and taking decisions pertaining to excise policy for the year 2021-22 without the approval of competent authority with an intention to extend undue favours to the licensee post tender,” it added.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at four places, including the premises of close associates of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, in connection with a money laundering probe it had launched on the Delhi government’s now-scrapped liquor policy.MP Singh alleged that ED has raided the houses of two of his associates – Ajit Tyagi and Sarvesh Mishra – in relation to the Delhi excise policy case. “Sarvesh’s father is suffering from cancer. This (the raid) is torturous,” Singh said.An official said they are currently conducting searches in four places – belonging to Puneet Tyagi, Ajit Tyagi, Amit Goyal and Sarvesh Mishra. “During the questioning of businessman Dinesh Arora and Amit Arora, the director of Buddy Retail Pvt. Ltd, the ED got to know about these four persons and they are conducting searches to get some evidence,” a source said.The ED case, which was registered in September last year, is based on a CBI FIR filed in August. The CBI had booked Sisodia, three excise department officials and several vendors and distributors among the 15 accused it had arraigned in its FIR.मोदी की दादागिरी चरम पर है।मैं मोदी की तानाशाही के ख़िलाफ़ लड़ रहा हूँ।ED की फर्जी जाँच को पूरे देश के सामने उजागर किया।ED ने मुझसे गलती मानी।जब कुछ नही मिला तो आज मेरे सहयोगियों अजीत त्यागी और सर्वेश मिश्रा के घर ED ने छापा मारा है।सर्वेश के पिता कैंसर से पीड़ित हैं ये… pic.twitter.com/4mwfV7j9GV— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) May 24, 2023 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThe CBI FIR had stated: “Praveen Kumar Rai, Director, MHA… has conveyed directions of the competent authority for enquiry into the matter of irregularities in framing and implementation of the excise policy of GNCTD of Delhi for the year 2021-22 by Central Bureau of Investigation. He has also forwarded a letter of L-G Vinai Kumar Saxena alleging irregularities in framing and implementation of the excise policy.”“The OM is enclosed herewith, which discloses that Manish Sisodia, Deputy CM; Arava Gopi Krishna, then Commissioner (Excise); Anand Tiwari, then Deputy Commissioner (Excise); and Pankaj Bhatnagar, Assistant Commissioner (Excise) were instrumental in recommending and taking decisions pertaining to excise policy for the year 2021-22 without the approval of competent authority with an intention to extend undue favours to the licensee post tender,” it added.
Actor Parineeti Chopra and politician Raghav Chadha will get engaged in New Delhi on May 13, after weeks of speculation. Rumours about them dating began after they were spotted together at a lunch date in Mumbai last month. Indianexpress.com reached out to Parineeti’s rep for comments.Since then, they’ve been spotted together on numerous occasions, and it was strongly speculated that they’d get engaged while Parineeti’s cousin, Priyanka Chopra, was in the country to promote her recently released show Citadel. While neither Parineeti nor Raghav confirmed their relationship, others seemed to suggest that they were together.Parineeti’s Code Name: Tiranga co-star Harrdy Sandhu appeared to confirm the rumours, when he said at a media interaction that he had already “called and congratulated” Parineeti. “I am so happy that it’s finally happening. I wish her all the luck,” Harrdy told DNA in an interview. Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjeev Arora on March 28 had taken to Twitter to congratulate Parineeti and Raghav. He wrote, “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to @raghav_chadha and @ParineetiChopra. May their union be blessed with an abundance of love, joy, and companionship. My best wishes!!!”Amid the rumours, Parineeti told Lifestyle Asia India, “If I were nobody or they were not interested in me, that would probably mean that I did not achieve what I tried to achieve as an actor because a successful actor will be famous, will be a part of everybody’s homes, a part of living room conversation, a part of the news, a part of the news channels, a part of digital media, a part of the paparazzi culture, and everything.” Responding to reporters while leaving the Parliament, Chadha had said, “Aap mujhse rajneeti ki sawal kariye, Parineeti ki sawal na kariye (you ask me questions on politics, not Parineeti)…”Chadha is a senior AAP leader and an MP. Parineeti made her acting debut with the 2011 romantic comedy Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. She will next be seen in Chamkila opposite Diljit Dosanjh.
AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha and actor Parineeti Chopra are set to get engaged on May 13. Rumours of a relationship between the two have been rife for months, and both had been dodging questions about it. They are both 35.In fact, them being spotted together in Mumbai had caught the attention of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar in March. During the Parliament session, Chadha as requested him to allow him to raise the issue of fugitive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi, Dhankar left the House in splits, saying, “You already occupy enough space on social media. This may be a day of silence for you.” Later, responding to a reporter while leaving Parliament, Chadha said with a smile: “Aap mujhse rajneeti ki sawal kariye, Parineeti ke sawal na kariye (you ask me questions on politics, not Parineeti)…” The two were also spotted at an awards function in London earlier this year.A post shared by @varindertchawla The MP, who was at The Indian Express office last month, chose to merely smile and refused to say anything when asked about the rumours. Parineeti is an alumna of University of Manchester, London, while Chadha has studied at London School of Economics. Parineeti has just concluded shooting her upcoming film ‘Chamkila’, co-starring Punjabi singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh. She’s a first cousin of Priyanka Chopra, and made her acting debut in 2011. She has done a series of critically acclaimed films, and has also received a National Film Award.
