New Delhi:

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal today announced the launch of the ‘Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana’ – a scheme that promises a monthly allowance of Rs 18,000 for Hindu temple priests and Sikh gurdwara granthis if his party is re-elected in Delhi.

“Pujaris and granthis are an integral part of our society. They’ve selflessly served the community for generations, often at the expense of their own families. This scheme is our way of honouring their contributions,” Mr Kejriwal said.

Mr Kejriwal, seeking a fourth consecutive term for AAP in the Delhi Assembly, said that the registration process for the scheme will begin immediately. He is expected to visit Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place on Tuesday to oversee the initial phase.

The announcement comes as AAP readies itself to take on the BJP and Congress in the elections. Mr Kejriwal took a swipe at both parties, urging them to replicate similar welfare measures in other states. 

“We know how pujaris serve us. Be it the birthday of our kid or the death of a loved one, they have always connected us with God. But they never gave attention to their own families, and neither did we pay enough attention to them. This is happening for the first time in the country. We have done many works in the national capital which happened for the very first time. We improved schools and hospitals and made bus travel for women. I just hope that the BJP and the Congress governments will learn from this and will implement such schemes in the state run by them,” Mr Kejriwal added. 

However, the announcement has not been without controversy. On the same day, imams affiliated with the Delhi Waqf Board protested outside Mr Kejriwal’s residence, demanding overdue salaries. The All India Imam Association claimed that imams had not been paid for 17 months and accused the Delhi government of ignoring their plight.

New Delhi:

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal today announced plans to provide a 24-hour water supply across Delhi ahead of Assembly elections next year. Mr Kejriwal said that the 24-hour supply has already begun in the Rajendra Nagar area of the national capital.

“Good news. From today, 24-hour water supply is starting in a colony of Rajendra Nagar. Very soon, it will be available in the entire city too,” Mr Kejriwal said.

This announcement is part of a series of welfare measures unveiled by the AAP recently. The party has announced the Sanjeevani Yojana, aimed at providing free medical treatment to Delhi residents aged 60 and above. Registration for the scheme has already begun in the Jangpura assembly constituency, where the AAP has fielded its former deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodia, as a candidate for the upcoming elections.

“Under the Sanjeevani Yojana, if elderly individuals above 60 years of age fall ill, whether they visit a government hospital or a private hospital, the Delhi government will cover the entire cost of their treatment,” Mr Kejriwal said on Monday. He added that the scheme has the potential to benefit approximately 20-25 lakh senior citizens in Delhi.

The former Delhi chief minister also claimed that there has been a positive response to the Mahila Samman Yojana, a scheme aimed at providing a monthly allowance of Rs 2,100 to women residing in Delhi. According to the Chief Minister, approximately 2.5 lakh women registered for the scheme within hours of its launch.

AAP recently announced the Dr Ambedkar Scholarship, which aims to support the higher education of Dalit students. However, specific details about the scholarship’s budget and implementation remain undisclosed.

In the 2020 Assembly elections, AAP secured a landslide victory, winning 62 out of 70 seats. The BJP managed only eight. With the next elections expected in early 2025, both parties are doubling down on efforts to sway voters.

Tarn Taran:

An Aam Aadmi Party worker was shot dead allegedly by three unidentified persons here on Monday, police said.

The worker was identified as Rajvinder Singh, a resident of Talwandi Mour Singh village, they added.

Three unidentified people, who were on a motorcycle, intercepted Singh’s car near Takkarpur village and allegedly fired at him and fled, police said.

Rajvinder Singh was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to bullet injuries, they added.

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party expressed grief over the death of the party worker in Tarn Taran.

AAP leader and MP Malvinder Singh Kang said the party and the state government stand with Rajvinder’s family.

The government will provide every possible assistance to bring justice to the victim’s family and will take strict action against the guilty, he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Srinagar:

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced its first list of seven candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on Sunday.

The party has fielded Fayaz Ahmed Sofi from Pulwama, Muddasir Hassan from Rajpora, and Sheikh Fida Hussain from Devsar. Mohsin Shafkat Mir has been selected for Dooru, Mehraj Din Malik for Doda, Yasir Shafi Matto for Doda West, and Musassir Azmat Mir for Banihal.

This will be the first time AAP contests the assembly polls in the state, scheduled to be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1.

Meanwhile, Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) also announced its first list of 13 candidates.

“Announcing our 1st list of candidates for the assembly elections. Our best wishes to them as they prepare to serve and represent our people!” read a post from DPAP.

The Congress has allied with Farooq Abdullah’s National Conference for the assembly polls.

The pre-poll alliance was announced soon after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge met NC chief Farooq Abdullah. After the meeting, Farooq Abdullah stated that the Congress-NC alliance would contest all 90 seats in the assembly polls.

The formal announcement of the tie-up was made by NC patron Farooq Abdullah in Srinagar. “United we stand,” JKNC posted on X. The announcement was made after Farooq Abdullah and his son, Omar, met Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.

The Election Commission has issued a notification for the first phase of assembly seats, covering 24 constituencies. This will be the first assembly poll in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

In a setback to the AAP on Sunday, five councillors of the party in the MCD, joined the BJP boosting it’s chances of having majority in the standing committee of the civic body.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, in a media briefing during the joining event, alleged that these councillors were troubled due to pressure to indulge in corruption and gather crowds for Aam Aadmi Party leaders.

The AAP Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) councillors who switched sides to the BJP included Ramchandra (Ward 28), Pawan Sehrawat (Ward 30), Mamata Pawan (Ward 177), Sugandha Bidhuri (Ward 178) and Manju Nirmal of Ward 180, a statement from the Delhi BJP said.

The anti-defection law is not in force in Municipal Corporation of Delhi and punishes individual Members of Parliament (MPs)/MLAs for leaving one party for another. It was passed in 1985.

The joining of five councillors will enable the BJP to have majority in seven of the 12 ward committees of the MCD, a Delhi BJP leader said.

“In all probability we will now get majority in the standing committee elections if Aam Aadmi Party allows the elections to take place,” he said.

The MCD mayor earlier this week issued an order to the municipal secretary asking him to start the process for the election of the chairperson and deputy chairperson of the wards committee, as well as one member each from the 12 zones of the MCD to the standing committee.

The AAP had won 134 out of 250 wards in the MCD polls held in 2022. After the shifting of allegiance by some councillors, the party now has 127 councillors. The BJP after the joining , now has 112 councillors in the MCD.

The Aam Aadmi Party which has majority in the MCD and the opposition BJP had been at loggerheads over the issue after which the matter went to the Court.

As per the DMC Act, six out of the 18-member Standing Committee, MCD’s highest decision-making body, are elected from the House, while the remaining 12 are elected from the ward committees constituted in each of the 12 zones of the civic body.

BJP MPs Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Yogender Chandolia and senior party leader Arvinder Singh Lovely, Raj Kumar Anand were present at the joining event at the BJP office.

When any member of the opposition joins the BJP, the reason is the efficiency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his welfare schemes, which have given new hope to the people of the country, Mr Sachdeva said.

Bidhuri welcomed all the councillors and leaders to the BJP and said that the party gives everyone a chance to work positively. He urged all councillors to work on development in their wards while adhering to party discipline.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday launched a social media campaign asking people to support it for saving the constitution and democracy in the country.

Delhi minister and senior AAP leader Atishi addressed a press conference here to launch the social media “DP (display picture) campaign”, urging people to join in.

She said that all AAP leaders and volunteers will change their profile picture on X, Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media accounts with the new one showing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal behind the bars captioned “Modi Ka Sabse Bada Dar Kejriwal”.

Mr Kejriwal is the only leader in the country who can challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi so he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate without any evidence just after the announcement of Lok Sabha polls, Atishi said.

She claimed the ED could not produce even “one Paisa” of evidence despite its two-year-long probe into the alleged excise scam .

She alleged that the BJP and Modi want to crush Kejriwal and added that the AAP was waging a battle against “dictatorship” in the country.

She urged people to join the social media DP campaign of the party saying saving the democracy and the Constitution was not just Kejriwal’s fight.

Mr Kejriwal was arrested by the ED in connection with the money laundering case linked to now scrapped excise policy of his government on Thursday last week. He is in custody of the agency till March 28.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said his party demanded that seat-sharing across the country be discussed at the meeting of the Opposition’s INDIA alliance here.

When asked what transpired at the informal meeting of the alliance leaders in the evening, the Delhi chief minister said his party sought seat-sharing discussions for all the states.

“The meeting was good,” he said.

A formal meeting would be taking place on Friday.

Meanwhile, when asked if seat-sharing was discussed, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “It will be discussed soon.” 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)