New Delhi:

Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj shared an update on AAP MP Raghav Chadha’s absence from election campaigns and said he is in the UK for an eye surgery. 

“Raghav is in the UK to get treatment after he suffered a complication in his eyes. I was told that it was quite serious and if timely treatment was not given then there could’ve been a possibility of blindness,” Mr Bharadwaj said.

“I wish him a speedy recovery and as soon as he’s fine, he will come back to India and join the party’s campaign,” the minister added. 

VIDEO | “Raghav Chadha has undergone major eye surgery in the UK. It is said that his condition was serious and there was a possibility of blindness. As soon as he gets better, he will come back to India and join us in the election campaigning,” says Delhi Minister and AAP leader… pic.twitter.com/o3A0hJYrAt

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 30, 2024

Despite being physically away for treatment, the AAP MP has responded on social media to developments within the party from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest to Sunita Kejriwal stepping into active politics with her roadshow in support of AAP candidates contesting in Delhi. 

Mr Chadha reacted to allegations by the party that the Tihar jail authorities are denying Arvind Kejriwal insulin and other medicines for diabetes. 

“Arvind Kejriwal has been a diabetic patient for many years. Kejriwal is on 54 units of insulin every day. It is being said that the administration in the jail is not giving him insulin,” Mr Chadha said in a post from April 18 on X.

“This is extremely inhumane and against prison rules,” he added.

अरविंद केजरीवाल जी कई सालों से डायबिटीज के मरीज़ हैं। केजरीवाल जी हर दिन 54 यूनिट इंसुलिन पर हैं। बताया जा रहा है कि जेल में प्रशासन द्वारा उन्हें इन्सुलिन नहीं दी जा रही है।

ये बेहद अमानवीय और जेल के नियमों के ख़िलाफ़ है।

— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) April 18, 2024

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested in the Delhi Liquor Policy case in March. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case on March 21. His former Deputy, Manish Sisodia, is jailed in the same case.

Meanwhile, AAP has announced that Mrs Kejriwal will be leading its Lok Sabha campaign in the national capital and other states which started with a roadshow to back AAP’s East Delhi 

In March, Mr Chadha and Parineeti Chopra – the two married in September- took part in the London India Forum 2024, hosted at the London School of Economics. The couple shared photos on their social media handles. 

New Delhi:

Punjab Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against a YouTube channel for allegedly equating Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha with fugitive Vijay Mallya.

The FIR against the YouTube channel ‘Capital TV’ was filed on the complaint of Vikas Prashar, son of AAP candidate from the Ludhiana Lok Sabha seat, Ashok Pappi Prashar. The complainant accused the channel of using defamatory and “misleading content.”

“The statements/contents of false videos on Capital TV channel and others shall harm the public peace and harmony…and is likely to promote enmity between different groups in the country on grounds of religion, caste, race and community,” reads the complaint.

As per the FIR, the channel made claims that “Vijay Mallya fled to the UK after taking public money, and similarly, a Rajya Sabha member left for England, claiming it was for eye treatment.”

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

New Delhi:

AAP MP Raghav Chadha will not have to vacate his government bungalow after the Delhi High Court set aside a trial court order today.

Mr Chadha had appealed a trial court order that lifted an interim order preventing the Rajya Sabha secretariat from removing him from the government bungalow allotted to him.

In a post on X, the Aam Aadmi Party MP said, “This fight isn’t about a house or a shop, it’s about saving the Constitution.”

“The cancellation of this allotment was a clear case of political vendetta, aimed at silencing a young, vocal parliamentarian… Opposition voices, those who represent the concerns of millions of Indians, are being deliberately targeted,” Mr Chadha said in the post on X.

He said he has given two speeches in parliament criticising the BJP-led centre, and his official accommodation was cancelled after his first speech.

“After my second speech, my membership as a parliamentarian was suspended. No parliamentarian can function if he is made to worry about what his forthright and honest speech will cost him next,” Mr Chadha said in the statement he posted on X.

Ye makan ya dukan ki nahin, Samvidhan ko bachane ki ladhayi hai
In the end, truth and justice have prevailed

My statement on the Hon’ble Delhi High Court’s ruling to set aside the unjust order to evict me from my official residence. pic.twitter.com/fA7BJ2zLYm

— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) October 17, 2023

Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani has revived an April 18 order of the trial court, which had directed the Rajya Sabha Secretariat not to evict Mr Chadha.

The trial court had ruled that Mr Chadha does not have an absolute right to continue to occupy his government bungalow during his entire tenure as a Rajya Sabha MP, even after the cancellation of the allotment.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Mr Chadha’s case, challenging his suspension from the Rajya Sabha. Mr Chadha was suspended for allegedly forging signatures of other MPs and proposing their names for a committee without their consent.

The court has instructed the Rajya Sabha secretariat to address the accusations and has also requested the assistance of the Attorney General of India R Venkataramani. The case will be resumed on October 30.

Mr Chadha was suspended from the Rajya Sabha in August after four MPs accused him of including their names in a committee without their consent. 
 

Israeli armored personnel carriers head toward the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, October 15, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

One million Gazans displaced in a week, says UN as Israel readies for ground attack

More than one million people have been displaced in the Gaza Strip in the last week, the UN said Sunday, after sustained Israeli bombardment and warnings about a ground attack targeting Hamas commanders.

Seven days of relentless bombing targeting those who masterminded the attack have flattened neighbourhoods and left at least 2,670 people dead in the Gaza Strip, the majority ordinary Palestinians.

Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls | SP says it will contest the election in alliance with Congress

The Samajwadi Party and the Congress, both members of the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), have worked out a seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh. On Sunday, SP leaders expressed confidence that an INDIA bloc government led by the Congress would be formed in the State.

Congress won’t repeat 30% of Rajasthan MLAs, says party’s State chief

The Congress is likely to replace up to 30% of its sitting MLAs in the coming Rajasthan Assembly election, the party’s State unit president, Govind Singh Dotasra, told The Hindu on Sunday.

Mr. Dotasra mocked the BJP for fielding “failed” MPs in the Assembly election to deflect an anti-incumbency trend against the Union government ahead of the Lok Sabha election in 2024.

BJP MP accuses Mahua Moitra of ‘taking cash to ask questions’

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey complained to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday that Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra had allegedly taken bribes from a business house to ask questions in Parliament.

Ms. Moitra denied the allegations and urged the Speaker to first complete the “probe” into Mr. Dubey’s educational qualifications and then hold an investigation into the allegations against her.

New investment slowed again in Q2 of FY24, drops by 13%

Fresh investment announcements in the July-to-September quarter, the second quarter of 2023-24, have dropped to ₹6.9 lakh crore, 13% lower than the first quarter, and 21.5% down from a year ago, driven by a sharp dip in proposed outlays by the Union government and foreign investors, and a broad-based contraction across the manufacturing, mining, infrastructure, and electricity sectors.

ICC World Cup: ENG vs AFG | Gritty Afghanistan leaves England shellshocked

In the past, Afghanistan has let teams like India and Pakistan off the hook in the World Cup. The gritty fighters, with a display of fearless trading of wickets for quick runs, have often paid the price for their inexperience in dealing with the ‘big’ moments of the game.

SC to hear AAP leader Raghav Chadha’s plea against ‘indefinite’ suspension from Rajya Sabha

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on October 16 a plea moved by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha, challenging his indefinite suspension from the Rajya Sabha.

A bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices J. B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra is scheduled to hear the plea of Mr. Chadha, who was suspended on the last day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on August 11 for “gross violation of rules, misconduct, defiant attitude and contemptuous conduct”, pending a report by the privileges committee.

Study estimates count of UAVs required for the three Services

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan recently ordered two studies to be conducted on major military platforms used by all three services. According to defence sources these platforms are Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and armoured helicopters. The study on UAVs has since been completed with a recommendation to acquire 31 MQ-9B High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAVs and 155 Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAVs.

UN aid chief says six months of war in Sudan has killed 9,000 people

Six months of war between Sudan’s military and a powerful paramilitary group has killed up to 9,000 people and created “one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history,” the United Nations humanitarian chief said Sunday.

Centre may raise retirement age of scientists from 60 to 65

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) is working on a proposal to increase the retirement age of scientists to 65.

Its larger purpose, sources suggest, is to stem the flight of its top, senior scientists to universities and the Indian Institutes of Technology, where the retirement age is 65, The Hindu has learnt.

Railways comes up with innovations to tackle freezing of water in winter

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Kaziranga reopens with tribute to British-era officer

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Poland’s opposition leader says three parties have enough votes to unseat the Law and Justice party

Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk said that three opposition parties had sufficient votes to win the general election on Sunday after an exit poll projected that they had enough combined support to oust Law and Justice, the governing conservative nationalist party.

New Delhi:

Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha has approached the Supreme Court today challenging his suspension from the Rajya Sabha. He was suspended from the Upper House of the Parliament on August 1 for “breach of privilege” after four MPs alleged that he had violated rules by naming them in a House panel without their consent.

“People from the BJP are saying I submitted some MPs’ signatures. I want to tell you the truth. Any parliamentarian has the right to nominate names for a committee. This means that I can propose names for a select committee. I don’t need an MP’s written consent or signature to do so. You just have to give the names. If any MP has an objection, they can withdraw their name. We have not submitted any signatures,” the AAP leader said after his suspension,

The Rajya Sabha passed a resolution moved by leader of the House Piyush Goyal to suspend Mr Chadha till the privileges committee submits its findings. Mr Goyal had sought action against the AAP leader for including names of some members of the Upper House without their consent in a proposed select committee for the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

Raghav Chadha is the second AAP MP to be suspended from Rajya Sabha during Parliament’s Monsoon session. Senior leader Sanjay Singh – who was arrested on October 4 by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case – was suspended from the Rajya Sabha on July 24.

Earlier in the day, Mr Chadha approached the Delhi High Court challenging a local court’s order that vacated an interim order concerning his stay at the official government bungalow allotted to him.

He was given a Type 6 bungalow in July last year and had requested the Rajya Sabha Chairman for a bigger, Type 7 accommodation, which was allotted to him in September that year. In March, however, the secretariat had cancelled the allotment, arguing that the first-time MP was not entitled to a bungalow of that grade.

“Arbitrary and unprecedented,” was how Mr Chadha described the cancellation of his allotted bungalow.

“This along with my suspension as a Member of Parliament, which was initiated by the treasury benches, leaves no doubt that the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to target vocal Members of Parliament. This amounts to unwarranted interference in the due discharge of their functions as the Representatives of the House and hits a rock bottom of vendetta politics,” he added.

New Delhi:

In a setback for AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, a Delhi court has ruled that he has no right to continue to occupy the government bungalow given to him after the allotment was cancelled. The court has lifted the interim stay granted to Mr Chadha, which means that the Rajya Sabha Secretariat can ask him to vacate the bungalow anytime. 

In a statement released after the court order, the AAP leader termed the cancellation of the allotment arbitrary and unprecedented, and alleged that it was done at the “dictates of the BJP to further their political motives and vested interest”.

Mr Chadha was given a Type 6 bungalow in July last year and had requested the Rajya Sabha Chairman for a bigger, Type 7 accommodation, which was allotted to him in September that year. In March, however, the secretariat had cancelled the allotment, arguing that the first-time MP was not entitled to a bungalow of that grade.

The AAP MP was asked to vacate the bungalow, which is in central Delhi’s Pandara Road, and had moved Delhi’s Patiala House court against the order. The court had granted an interim stay on April 18. 

Lifting the stay on Friday, the Patiala House court said Mr Chadha could not claim an absolute right to occupy the bungalow.

“Plaintiff cannot claim that he has an absolute right to continue to occupy the accommodation during his entire tenure as a Member of Rajya Sabha. The allotment of Government accommodation is only a privilege given to the plaintiff and he has no vested right to continue to occupy the same even after the cancellation of allotment,” the court said in its order. 

The judge remarked that the argument that the allotment, once made, cannot be cancelled under any circumstances during the MP’s entire tenure “deserves rejection”. The court also pointed out that, as a Member of Parliament, Mr Chadha has no vested right in the accommodation and his status was similar to that of a licensee.

‘Above His Grade’

In June, the Rajya Sabha housing committee had said that the Type 7 bungalow was above Mr Chadha’s grade as a first-time MP and that such accommodations are usually assigned to former Union Ministers, former governors or former chief ministers. 

The head of the committee had also pointed out that BJP MP Radha Mohan Das had been moved from a Type 7 to a Type 5 bungalow as well.

New Delhi:

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann landed in Rajasthan’s Udaipur today ahead of the wedding of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha and actor Parineeti Chopra.

Other politicians and film personalities will attend the pre-wedding events today and the main ceremony tomorrow at The Leela Palace.

Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha, accompanied by their families, landed at Udaipur airport earlier today, from where they left for their hotels.

The two, both 34 years old, got engaged in May in Delhi in a private ceremony attended by family members and political leaders.

Parineeti Chopra’s cousin Priyanka Chopra also shared a wish all the way from Los Angeles. Priyanka’s recent Instagram activity seems to suggest that she will be absent from Parineeti’s wedding.

Yesterday, unconfirmed media reports speculated that the Citadel star would not be attending the festivities. In an Instagram Story, Priyanka shared a happy picture of Parineeti and tagging her and Raghav Chadha, she wrote, “I hope you are as happy and as content as this on your big day little one… Always wishing you so much love…#Newbeginnings.”

AAP MP Sanjay Singh was among the guests who arrived at Udaipur to attend the wedding. “I congratulate Raghav and Parineeti on the new chapter of their lives. May God fulfil all their wishes. Today and tomorrow is the wedding ceremony and all the people will join it,” Sanjay Singh told news agency ANI.

A few days ago, Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha hosted a Sufi night for their close friends and family members in Delhi.

While Priyanka Chopra gave it a miss, the actor’s mother Madhu Chopra and brother Siddharth marked their presence at the special function organised at Raghav Chadha’s house.

Prior to the musical night, the couple sought blessings at a gurdwara in Delhi, where they participated in ardas and kirtan.

New Delhi:

Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha on Monday took a break from wedding preps – the Rajya Sabha MP is expected to marry actor Parineeti Chopra in Rajasthan this month – to take a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party after it was dumped by Tamil Nadu ally All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

Mr Chadha – whose AAP is part of the INDIA bloc – quoted a NDTV alert – and said, “Whenever someone tried to break INDIA, it itself broke and disintegrated… same thing happened today…”

“Our INDIA alliance was strong yesterday and is strong even today… but sadly the NDA (the BJP-led national alliance) which throws stones at other people’s houses could not save its own house.”

जब भी किसी ने ‘INDIA’ को तोड़ने की कोशिश करी, वो खुद टूटकर भिखर गया…

आज भी ऐसा ही हुआ

हमारा INDIA गठबंधन तो कल भी मज़बूत था आज भी मज़बूत है, मगर अफसोस की दूसरों के घरों पर पत्थर मारने वाला NDA अपना घर ही नहीं बचा पाया। https://t.co/OKhfmjXMyd

— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) September 18, 2023

Mr Chadha’s comment comes amid reports of disagreements and infighting within INDIA, particularly as it negotiates seat-sharing pacts in Bengal, Delhi and Punjab. 

READ | Need To Fight Together With INDIA Bloc: Sonia Gandhi’s Unity Message

The AAP is the ruling party in the latter two states and there are whispers that some within the party do not look kindly on an alliance with the Congress. And in Bengal (and Kerala) there are more than mere whispers after the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said it would not ally with anyone.

READ | Left Blow To INDIA Unity? No Bengal, Kerala Tie-Ups, Say Sources

The CPIM’s main rivals are the Congress and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool.

Nilotpal Basu, a former Rajya Sabha MP, told NDTV “there are differences (within INDIA)… it is a reality” but left his foot in the door, saying the decision “doesn’t negate a (future) alliance”.

However, in Tamil Nadu the Congress and the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam – the AIADMK’s sworn rival – have all but agreed terms to continue what has been, so far, a successful alliance.

AIADMK v BJP In Tamil Nadu?

Earlier today senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar said his party had broken ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party with the 2024 Lok Sabha election and state polls around the corner. 

The party is furious about BJP state unit leader K Annamalai’s comments on the late CN Annadurai, who was AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran’s mentor.

READ | AIADMK Says No BJP Alliance For Now, Will Decide Before Polls

Mr Annamalai frequently mocks both his ally and rival – – leading to talk the BJP is trying to play one Dravidian party against the other to create space for itself in a state that has historically rejected it.

However, top BJP sources have told NDTV the squabble will be sorted out.

New Delhi:

AAP leader Raghav Chadha on Tuesday condemned DMK leader Udayanidhi Stalin’s remark on Sanatana Dharma but said statements made by some “small” leader from any party cannot be considered the official stand of the INDIA bloc.

“I am from Sanatana Dharma. I condemn and oppose such statements. Such kind of statements should not be made. One should stay away from making such remarks on any religion. We should respect all religions,” Mr Chadha told PTI In an interview.

The BJP has been attacking the INDIA alliance over the issue. On Tuesday, the BJP accused the INDIA bloc of having a hidden agenda to target Sanatana Dharma for vote-bank politics.

“Some leader from some party makes such remarks… it doesn’t mean it is the statement of the alliance. The alliance has been formed for raising big issues like price rise, unemployment facing the country. The statement made by some small leader, while standing in a district in a state, is not the official stand of the alliance,” Mr Chadha asserted.

Over two dozen Opposition parties have formed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to take on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Mr Chadha is a member of the 14-member coordination committee, which is the top decision-making body of the INDIA bloc. A meeting of the committee will be held at the residence of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar in Delhi on Wednesday.

“The meeting will see a discussion on the issues that we will raise, how will we reach out to people on them, through rallies or door-to-door campaign, public rally, along with dynamics in states. All states are different and that is how we celebrate our diversity. Electoral colour is different. We will discuss it statewise,” he said.

“Every political party will have to sacrifice three things to make this alliance successful — ambition (mahatvakanksha), difference of opinion (matbhed) and manbhed,” he added.

When asked about the names for the prime ministerial probables of the opposition alliance, he said the first thing is that the AAP not in the race.

“We are a loyal soldier in this alliance. We are not in the race to become PM. We have many able administrators in our alliance. We have many competent people. But can someone in NDA stand up and say they want Nitin Gadkari become PM or Amit Shah to become the prime minister? I just want to prove here that we have many able administrators. They don’t have anyone. They can only take the name of one leader,” he said.

Questioned further, he said, “The alliance will take a decision (on a prime ministerial name). Even the alliance formed in 1977 did not have a declared PM face, yet they won the elections against Indira Gandhi. I see a repeat of that happening.” 

DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin recently blamed Sanatana Dharma for promoting division and discrimination among people, and called for its eradication.

Another DMK leader A Raja likened the Sanatan Dharma to diseases like leprosy and HIV, which have social stigma attached to them.

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

New Delhi:

Ahead of the third INDIA bloc meet in Mumbai, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha on Wednesday said that AAP has joined INDIA to prepare a blueprint for a better India.

“AAP has not joined the INDIA alliance for the PM post. Arvind Kejriwal is not in the race to become the PM. We have joined the INDIA alliance to prepare a blueprint for a better India,” the AAP MP said.

“If any party is saying this (that AAP has joined the INDIA bloc for the PM post), it means that we have many capable faces for the PM post. Many prominent leaders are the part of INDIA alliance,” he added.

He further asked, do they (BJP/NDA) have any such face except PM Modi.

“Is there anyone in the BJP who can say that they want Nitin Gadkari, Yogi Adityanath or someone from Chirag Paswan’s party to become the next PM face…At their party, one can’t even express this kind of thought,” he said.

Earlier in the day, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said party national convener Arvind Kejriwal is not in the race for Prime Minister.

“Arvind Kejriwal’s motive to join the INDIA Alliance is to save the country. Arvind Kejriwal is not in the race to be a Prime Minister. The issues like PM candidate and seat sharing will be decided by consensus by the alliance,” Sanjay Singh told ANI.

The third meeting of the INDIA alliance will be held in Maharashtra’s Mumbai on August 31 and September 1.

The meeting will discuss the alliance strategies for the Lok Sabha election and the seat sharing in the states. A new logo of the INDIA alliance is also likely to be launched.

A total of 28 parties are likely to participate in the third meeting of the newly formed opposition alliance in Mumbai.

The parties have come together to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by PM Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent it from winning a third straight term at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The first meeting of the joint opposition convened in Patna on June 23 and the second meeting was held in Bengaluru on July 17-18. The third meeting is slated to be in Mumbai on August 31-September 1.

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