As the AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal skipped the Enforcement Directorate’s summons for the third time on Monday, the party fielded its several senior leaders to convey to public the reason behind the skipping. AAP leaders —Sandeep Pathak, Atishi, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Gopal Rai and Priyanka Kakkar—held separate press conferences to defend their top boss who is under ED’s scanner in connection with excise policy scam. Interestingly, these leaders had a same content to offer—the probe agencies are “compromised” and the Centre is “targetting” the Delhi government through “false cases”. The very next day Kejriwal, too addressed a digital press conference over the same subject. The entire episode looked like as if AAP was trying to gain media attention over the same subject again and again. Opposition BJP, on the other hand kept cornering the AAP chief with several similar conferences.
On Sunehri Masjid , NDMC keeps ‘studied silence’
The political leadership of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is in a fix. While holding press briefings and general interaction with the media, the BJP members of the NDMC are continuously keeping mum about the Sunehri Bagh Majid issue which flared up a few days ago after the civic council sought a public opinion on whether to remove the iconic masjid from the list of heritage sites. The matter was blown out of proportion and gave an impression that the NDMC is calling for the removal of the mosque. Sources said that the BJP members have been instructed to maintain the party line and not reveal gaps to infer any “negative” development which may collide with the “positivity” around the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Why Parl accused declined to speak to parents?
Hyderabad businessman P Sarath Chandra Reddy, who was an accused in Delhi’s now-scrapped excise policy, turned approver and was pardoned by the court making him a witness in the case. Lately, Reddy was allowed by the court to travel abroad to France and Switzerland for 22 days. The bizman told the court that he is a director of a leading pharmaceutical company namely Aurobindo Pharma Ltd., which has pan India and global presence in US as well as in Europe. In terms of consolidated revenue, his company features in the top two companies in India and he has been the director since the year 2007, Reddy submitted. In a similar matter, another accused-turned-approver Dinesh Arora, who was allegedly connected to AAP leader Sanjay Singh’s case, has approached the court seeking suspension of the lookout circular issued against him and to release his passport and permission to go abroad.
Good samaritan: Delhi Police saves bird
A good samaritan is not just who saves human lives but also worries for the voiceless. The Delhi Police has recently set an example of being a good samaritan after the PCR staff of the central zone rescued an injured eagle in the Darya Ganj area. Just like any other case, the eagle was taken and admitted to Bird Hospital Red Fort, Delhi. The selfless act of mercy towards a speechless animal won the hearts of the residents.
Contributed by Anup Verma, Ashish Srivastava, Jaison Wilson,Ujwal Jalali