Kejriwal changes sacrilege-convicted Mehrauli candidate, Delhi BJP slams flip-flop

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) In a surprise move, the ruling AAP on Friday replaced its candidate from the Mehrauli constituency in south Delhi for the Assembly elections, inviting criticism from the BJP which questioned why AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal named the sacrilege-convicted candidate in the first place.

Sitting MLA Naresh Yadav, convicted in the Punjab Quran sacrilege case, was named as an official candidate from Mehrauli in the last list of AAP candidates. However, party convenor and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday dropped Yadav and named Mahender Chaudhary as the AAP’s official candidate from the seat.

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said that despite the sacrilege case, Kejriwal had decided not to change his party’s candidate from Mehrauli but has now taken a U-turn and dropped Yadav because of the significant role played by the new candidate’s financial power.

Yadav was sentenced on November 30, 2024, by a court in Punjab in the sacrilege case involving the Quran. Despite this, Kejriwal had given him a ticket to contest elections from Mehrauli for the third time last week, he said.

Sachdeva said that the sudden cancellation of Yadav’s ticket does not surprise Delhiites, as changing candidates after issuing a ticket is a common practice for Kejriwal. He has been doing this in every election.

The Delhi BJP President said that there was speculation in the media that Kejriwal might drop 13 MLAs he has given tickets to for the fourth time, including a senior spokesperson-cum-Minister.

He is just waiting for an offer from their possible replacement who has good financial backing, Sachdeva claimed.

The BJP leader also attacked Kejriwal for allegedly demeaning migrants coming from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

He said that today Kejriwal is trying to show himself as a supporter of Poorvanchalis, but they have not forgotten his statement of September 30, 2019, when he said, “Biharis come to Delhi with a 500-rupee ticket, get Rs 5 lakh worth of free treatment, and leave.”

People from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Haryana have not forgotten that Kejriwal has repeatedly stated that Delhi government hospitals and schools near the border of other states are under heavy pressure from outsiders, said Delhi BJP chief.

–IANS

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Punjab DGP, MHA official request farmer leader Dallewal to end 20-day fast

Chandigarh, Dec 15 (IANS) Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav along with Union Ministry of Home Affairs Mayank Mishra on Sunday met farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on fast unto death to press the Centre in support of their demands, enquired about his health and requested him to end his 20-day-long fast.

This has been the first meeting between the Union government and a farm leader since talks with farmers remained inconclusive in February.

The 70-year-old cancer patient Dallewal has been fasting at Khanauri, the border point between Punjab and Haryana, since November 26 in support of their long-pending demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops, loan waiver and reforms to improve conditions in the agricultural sector.

After meeting the farmer leader, Yadav told the media, “We came to enquire about the health of Dallewal.”

Without mincing words, he said, “We have heard whatever his (Dallewal) demands are. There was no proposal of any kind (over the demands). I came here to hear him and also for implementation of the Supreme Court order.”

DGP Yadav said, “We have appealed to Dallewal that the government has taken note of his situation, and the Punjab government has said that they will talk to Dallewal and his associates and provide them with medical assistance.”

“We are trying to ensure that the demands of farmers be resolved and channels of dialogue between the government open. We appealed to Jagjit Singh Dallewal and other farmer leaders and medical facilities have been provided to Jagjit Singh Dallewal. We are trying to resolve the issue in coordination with them,” he said, adding, “Dallewal urged us to put forward our demands.”

The meeting comes in the wake of the Supreme Court directing the Centre and Punjab government two days ago to immediately meet Dallewal. The court had further asked to provide him with medical help and persuade him to break his indefinite fast, saying his life was precious.

Despite assurances by the government officials, Dallewal remained adamant on continuing with the fast unto death, farmer leaders said.

Doctors have advised immediate hospitalisation of Dallewal as due to the prolonged fast he turned weak.

Before reaching the protest site, Yadav held a meeting with farmer leaders, including Sukhjit Singh Hardojhande and Kaka Singh Kotda.

Haryana security personnel on Saturday lobbed teargas shells to disperse protesting farmers who were attempting to cross multi-layered barricades erected as a preventive step at the Shambhu border point between Punjab and Haryana.

The police, who were trying to convince a batch of 101 farmers that they should not enter Haryana as they didn’t have permission to go to the national capital, and should go back, also used water cannons to disperse them.

This was the third attempt by the 101 farmers to march towards the national capital as part of the ongoing protest that has now completed 10 months. Earlier, they attempted to march towards Delhi on December 6 and 8.

The protesting farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, both in Punjab, since February 13, after security forces stopped their attempts to proceed to Delhi.

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher has announced to halt trains in Punjab on December 18 to lodge their protest.

–IANS

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Minimum temperature improves across J&K, Srinagar records minus 3.6

Srinagar, Dec 23 (IANS) Due to nightlong cloud cover, minimum temperature improved across Jammu and Kashmir on Monday with Srinagar city recording minus 3.6 as the minimum temperature.

The Meteorological (MeT) department said the improvement in minimum temperature will continue for another two days after which another spell of extreme cold is likely to occur in Kashmir.

Despite improvement in night temperature, life remained adversely affected due to frozen water taps, slippery roads, shortages of electric power, etc., in the Valley.

Accepting the gravity of the situation, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has cancelled all his engagements outside and decided to remain stationed in Kashmir to address the problems of the people.

“In light of the severe cold spell in the Kashmir valley & the resultant difficulties with water & electricity supply, I have decided to cancel my forthcoming programmes in Jammu & station myself in Srinagar for the next week to personally monitor the functioning of the Power department & other important departments”, the CM wrote on X.

The 40-day-long period of harsh winter cold called the ‘Chillai Kalan’ started on December 21 and will end on January 30.

Most water bodies including rivers, streams and lakes have already started freezing. This has made moving the boats in these water bodies a challenging job.

Srinagar had minus 3.6, Gulmarg minus 4.8 and Pahalgam minus 5 as the minimum temperature.

Jammu city had 6.7, Katra town 7, Batote 2.7, Banihal minus 1.7 and Bhaderwah minus 0.7 as the minimum temperature.

To ward off the bone-chilling cold during the Chillai Kalan, locals wear loose overgarments called the ‘Pheran’. A firepot woven in a basket of willow wicker called the ‘Kangri’ kept under the Pheran is still the best alternative to central heating for the average Kashmiri. For decades the shortages of electric power have been the main grouse of the locals. Despite the construction of many new power generation projects, electricity shortages have become proverbial problems for the locals.

–IANS

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