After keeping everyone guessing for nearly a month, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Saturday announced its support for the joint Opposition’s candidate Yashwant Sinha in the July 18 Presidential election, infusing some energy in the dispirited Opposition camp whose presidential campaign had seemed to be unravelling.The Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, chaired a meeting of the 11-member AAP Political Affairs Committee (PAC), the party’s highest decision-making body, at his residence during the day, where it was decided that the AAP’s MLAs and MPs will vote for Sinha for the President’s post.On June 21, after declaring Sinha’s candidature, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)’s supremo Sharad Pawar had told reporters that the AAP, despite staying away from the Opposition’s meetings on the issue, will back the former Union minister in the Presidential poll. The Kejriwal-led party, however, chose not to reveal its cards till the eleventh hour. In fact, when Sinha visited Chandigarh earlier this week as part of his whirlwind tour across states for his campaign, he did not have any meeting with the AAP’s Punjab MLAs, which kept the suspense alive.“The AAP will contest the Assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh this year, where the BJP is in power and the Congress is the principal Opposition. It made no sense for the party to give a handle to the Congress to whip up the narrative that AAP is BJP’s B-team,” a senior AAP leader told The Indian Express.The AAP is, however, also mindful of the symbolism projected by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)-led NDA’s Presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu, who is set to become the country’s first-ever tribal occupant of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. So while announcing the decision to support Sinha’s candidature, the party leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh, sought to address this aspect of the Presidential contest too.“We have respect for the BJP’s candidate Droupadi Murmu as well, but in the election we will support the Opposition’s Presidential face,” Singh told reporters after the PAC’s meeting that was also attended by Manish Sisodia, Atishi, Durgesh Pathak and Raghav Chadha, among other senior AAP leaders. Singh had met Pawar In Mumbai ahead of the Opposition parties’ first joint meeting last month.In the Opposition camp, the AAP is the only party besides the Congress that has its government in more than one state. The ruling party in Delhi and Punjab, the AAP accounts for nearly 1.96 per cent votes in the Presidential electoral college. The value of the votes of the party’s 10 Rajya Sabha MPs is 7,000, while its MLAs from Delhi (62), Punjab (92) and Goa (2) bring a collective vote value of 14,308 in the Presidential poll.The AAP’s pledge to support Sinha would ensure he gets over 4 lakh votes, even as Murmu is comfortably poised to sail through the election by expectedly garnering at least 6.60 lakh votes.Even in 2017, when the AAP ruled only Delhi and was the principal Opposition in Punjab, the party had declared its support for the then Congress-led Opposition’s Presidential candidate Meira Kumar just three days before the election. However, the Congress had kept the AAP away from the meetings of 17 Opposition parties, where Kumar’s name was decided.This time, although the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the NCP steered these Opposition deliberations, the AAP stayed away from them despite being invited. AAP sources attributed it to the party’s “discomfort” in sharing any common platform with the Congress. It also does want to be seen being led by parties like the TMC, which is also looking to occupy the space being vacated by a drifting Congress in a bid to emerge as the principal challenger to the BJP in national politics.“The AAP has made it abundantly clear through its moves that politically it wants to grow by strengthening the perception that it is different from others. Being a part of large groups with no shared values except opposing the BJP does not help the AAP,” the source said.The AAP has also attended the Opposition’s joint events in the past, though. In 2018, Kejriwal was among the top Opposition leaders who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy as the Karnataka CM with the Congress as his senior ally.Kejriwal was also present at a TMC-organised joint Opposition rally in Kolkata in 2019. In February 2019, the AAP also hosted a “Save Democracy” rally at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, where Kejriwal shared dais with the Congress’s Anand Sharma, among other leaders. But the AAP’s drubbing in the 2019 general elections, during which the party had made an unsuccessful bid for an alliance with the Congress, forced its rethink on its equation with the grand old party.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday said that it will support Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha for the Presidential elections scheduled on July 18.“AAP will support Opposition’s Presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha. We respect Droupadi Murmu but we will vote for Yashwant Sinha,” AAP MP Sanjay Singh said following the party’s political affairs committee (PAC) meeting.Besides AAP, the ruling TRS in Telangana has also extended its support to the candidature of joint opposition nominee Sinha.The meeting was attended by AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Punjab MP Raghav Chadha, MLA Atishi, and other members of the PAC.Voting for the Presidential poll will take place on Monday. The AAP is the only non-BJP, non-Congress outfit having governments in two states — Delhi and Punjab.It has 10 Rajya Sabha MPs from the two states including three from Delhi. Also, the party has a total 156 MLAs including 92 in Punjab, 62 in Delhi and two in Goa.
BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh has dared the police to arrest him and ruling party workers to “lay hands on him”, asserting he need not learn decency and ethics from “murderer and corrupt” Trinamool Congress, after a controversy erupted over his alleged unsavoury comments against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.The Medinipur MP’s latest remarks came only a few hours after a TMC delegation met Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar over the issue, who promised to look into the matter.Ghosh, the former state BJP chief, claimed he did not make any inappropriate remark against Banerjee and his comments were only in reference to her “political opportunism and inconsistency”.The BJP leader, however, asserted he will continue to speak out against “cut money culture and atrocities committed by TMC on its opponents” even in Bhowanipore assembly constituency, represented by the chief minister.“I dare the West Bengal Police to arrest me. I have not taken any cut money, nor have I killed anyone, burned anyone’s properties or looted them. I haven’t beaten up people for opposing my views either. Still, if the law enforcers want to put me behind the bars, I ask them to send the police,” he told reporters on Thursday night.“I will not learn ethics or decency from murderer TMC which has taken the lives of scores of our party leaders and grassroots level workers since last year’s assembly elections. I won’t learn anything from corrupt people who siphon off government funds and divert aid meant for poor people to their kin,” he said.The BJP leader said he merely referred to Banerjee’s “political opportunism and inconsistency”.“She says one thing in West Bengal and something completely different in another part of the country. I only pointed that out,” Ghosh said.During a conclave organised by a media house, Ghosh had allegedly made derogatory remarks against Banerjee’s family, while referring to her ‘Bangla nijer meyekei chay’ (Bengal wants its daughter) campaign during the West Bengal assembly elections last year and her subsequent visit to Goa, where she claimed to have felt an affinity towards the coastal state.A TMC delegation led by MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and state minister Bratya Basu met Dhankhar on Thursday and urged him to condemn Ghosh’s remarks and ensure strictest punishment for the BJP leader.“We have requested the governor to condemn Ghosh’s remarks. On various occasions, we have seen him actively calling out comments of others. We hope that on this occasion, too, he will do the same. Steps must be taken to ensure strictest punishment for the BJP leader,” Ghosh Dastidar said.She claimed that the governor promised to look into the matter.Dhankhar, later in the day, tweeted that the delegation was given assurance the matter would be taken up for consideration.“Delegation @AITCofficial sought intervention at remarks made against Hon’ble CM was assured of consideration.Indicated to delegation concerns at worrisome Constitutional transgressions, insensitive stance towards human rights and need for working in tandem for public good,” he tweeted.The ruling party in West Bengal further sought legal action against Ghosh.“We want Dilip Ghosh to be arrested immediately. Such remarks have no place in a civilised society,” TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said.TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee earlier voiced outrage over Ghosh’s comments and demanded his arrest. Party MPs Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Saugata Roy also condemned the remarks.The state BJP leadership, on its part, insisted that it was not in favour of personal attacks, which is the “hallmark of the TMC”, but if anyone was hurt by any comment of Ghosh, that was “unintended”.Asked to comment over the row, BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya told PTI, “The BJP has never made any personal attack against any individual, this is not the culture of BJP. It is the TMC that had made objectionable comments against our national president, the home minister and prime minister.” “What we understand is that Ghosh gave indications about the inconsistent political stance of the TMC supremo all through her political career, and her opportunistic politics. He did not intend to attack her personally. If the TMC and Banerjee are hurt, however, we can say that it was unintended,” Bhattacharya added.
Taking exception to alleged unsavoury comments by BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a programme of a media group, Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has demanded his arrest.During an interaction at the ‘India Today East Conclave’, Ghosh had allegedly made some derogatory remarks about Banerjee’s family. He also made comments against the CM, referring to her “Banglar Meye” (Daughter of Bengal) campaign during the last assembly polls in Bengal and her later visit to Goa where she had claimed her affinity with the coastal state.Expressing shock over the utterances of the former state BJP president, the Diamond Harbour MP on Wednesday tweeted, “Outrageous. PM @narendramodi, it is about time to get this loose tongue arrested! Is this how @BJP4India leaders talk about the only sitting woman Chief Minister of the nation (sic)?”Trinamool MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar in a video expressed shock that such crass words can be used by a political personality against a woman, who happens to be the only female chief minister in the country.Dastidar said she was wearing a black badge in protest against the “misogynistic” comment by Ghosh and demanding action against him. State BJP leaders could not be contacted for reaction.Also, an eight-member Trinamool delegation on Thursday met Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and demanded that Dilip Ghosh should tender an unconditional apology to CM Mamata Banerjee for his comments.The delegation arrived at Raj Bhavan in the afternoon had a meeting with the Governor for more than an hour. MP Kakli Ghosh Dastidar, who was part of the delegation, said after the meeting, “We approached the Governor about the manner in which BJP MP Dilip Ghosh made vulgar remarks about the Chief Minister’s family. The Governor is the constitutional head of the state, so we appealed to him to take disciplinary action against Dilip Ghosh.”Dilip Ghosh had made insulting remarks against the CM earlier also, he claimed. “His remarks on Goddess Durga were also insulting. We have appealed to the Governor to mete out severe punishment to him,” Dastidar said.Newsletter | Click to get the day’s best explainers in your inboxThe delegation included Education Minister Bratya Basu, Women and Child Social Welfare Minister Shashi Panja, party deputy chief whip Tapash Roy, MP Sajda Ahmed and South Kolkata MP Mala Roy.Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “Looking at the Governor’s behavior, many consider him the chief patron of the state BJP. But, now he has to prove that he is the Governor of the entire state. I hope he will definitely take some action in this regard.”Later, the Governor tweeted, “Delegation @AITCofficial sought intervention at remarks made against Hon’ble CM was assured of consideration. Indicated to delegation concerns at worrisome Constitutional transgressions, insensitive stance towards human rights and need for working in tandem for public good (sic).”
PANAJI: Blaming the state government for neglecting mangroves and Goa's ecology and environment, TMC Goa on Sunday wrote to governor P S Sreedharan Pillai asking for restoration of forests and mangroves. TMC said that it is crucial that efforts to protect the environment are accelerated so that global warming and climate change can be slowed down. "Being on the cusp of multiple tipping points, it becomes crucial that we accelerate efforts to safeguard the environment," TMC Goa said in the letter. TMC has submitted pictures of destroyed mangroves to back their allegations that there is an increase in the number of cases of cutting and clearing of mangroves along the coastal belt of Goa. TMC's state incharge Kirti Azad said that fragile mangrove ecosystems are illegally converted into resorts and real estate projects. Pictures of damaged mangroves at Morombi o Grande and Morombi o Pequeno were attached. The party said that the BJP-led government's insistence on major projects devastated Goa's ecology.
Panaji: Blaming the state government for neglecting mangroves and Goa’s ecology and environment, TMC Goa on Sunday wrote to governor P S Sreedharan Pillai asking for restoration of forests and mangroves. TMC said that it is crucial that efforts to protect the environment are accelerated so that global warming and climate change can be slowed down. “We now request your excellency to prevail over the current disposition to protect all remaining mangroves, enhance recovery, and restore lost forests. Being on the cusp of multiple tipping points, it becomes crucial that we accelerate efforts to safeguard the environment,” TMC Goa said in the letter. TMC has submitted pictures of destroyed mangroves to back their allegations that there is an increase in the number of cases of cutting and clearing of mangroves along the coastal belt of Goa. TMC’s state incharge Kirti Azad said that fragile mangrove ecosystems are illegally converted into resorts and real estate projects. Pictures of damaged mangroves at Morombi o Grande and Morombi o Pequeno were attached with the letter. The party said that the BJP-led government’s insistence on major projects devastated Goa’s ecology. Azad said that minister for forests Vishwajit Rane has “woken up too late” to hide political apathy and police inaction towards the destruction of mangrove forests.“After successfully overlooking the damage caused to the mangroves, Rane has yet again peddled hollow promises of taking action. It has been more than 16 days since intervention was promised but to our utter disappointment, the government has stayed silent on the matter,” said TMC’s former vice president and state co-ordinator Rajendra Kakodkar. Core committee members Samil Volvaiker and Jagdish Bhobe along with several others protested against the cutting of mangroves in the coastal state and highlighted the BJP led government’s apathy towards protecting the environment.
Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant’s decision to approach Union home minister Amit Shah has proven the Goa government’s inability to control sex trafficking and prostitution in the state, TMC said here on Thursday. TMC’s Goa unit said that Sawant has abdicated his responsibility and has failed to protect the people of Goa. “The failure of the BJP government in Goa is yet again brought to the fore Sawant’s inability to address the issue of increasing sex trafficking in Goa,” TMC’s Goa state in-charge Kirti Azad said. Sawant held a meeting with NGO Anyay Rahit Zindagi (ARZ) regarding sex trafficking during which he said that he will take up the issue with Shah during his next visit to New Delhi. Azad and former TMC vice-president Rajendra Kakodkar said that Sawant is passing the buck to the Centre instead of taking decisive steps to prevent prostitution in Goa. “Is it right for Sawant to pass the buck to the Union home minister for what is happening in the state? One wonders as to how Amit Shah sitting in Delhi is supposed to combat the issue of sex trafficking that is plaguing Goa,” Kakodkar said. “Goa TMC seeks accountability from the chief minister for the worsening condition of law and order in the state. It’s high time the chief minister takes stock of the situation,” Azad said.
