AAP open for 'grand alliance' in fight against BJP

New Delhi, Apr 19: Signalling AAP's willingness to join opposition in the fight against BJP, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday had a breakfast meeting with Kerala Chief Minister and senior CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan here where he called for an alliance of "all good people".

Kejriwal went to Kerala House this morning for a breakfast meeting with Vijayan, a senior CPI(M) Polit Bureau member who is in Delhi to attend party Central Committee meeting, where they discussed political developments in the country. Kerala CPI(M) Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who is also a Polit Bureau member, was present during the meeting.

The meeting assumes significance as opposition parties are trying to forge unity to take on BJP, which has tasted electoral victories in the recent polls. CPI(M) has said that Left and democratic forces should come out with an alternative programme to counter BJP and not fall into narrative set by BJP.

After the meeting, Kejriwal told reporters that power is in the hands of "wrong forces" who are "getting an edge". To fight this, he said "all good people should come together". He was responding to a question if the meeting was a signal of a new alliance between AAP and other opposition parties.

His comments came against the backdrop of remarks by BSP chief Mayawati and Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav that they were willing for an opposition coalition.

With its confrontational politics, most of the opposition parties have been keeping AAP at arms length and they were not part of some of the united opposition's programmes in the recent times.

"There is an atmosphere of fear. The business community, industrialists, media people or commoners, everybody is afraid of the situation in this country, which is wrong. Those who raise the voice of dissent against the Centre are being muzzled," Kejriwal, who discussed a "range of issues" with Vijayan.

Vijayan also echoed Kejriwal about the "situation of fear" in the country. "The situation in our country is very serious. We have discussed the fear in the society created by the RSS,"

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‘Avoid campaign on communal lines, politicising army’: EC directs BJP over a month after PM Modi remarks; warns Cong too

News Network

May 22,2024

New Delhi: Acting on a one-month-old notice it sent to the BJP on complaints over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s provocative and communal remarks, the Election Commission of India on Wednesday directed the saffron party’s star campaigners not to make speeches along 'religious/communal lines' and desist from statements that may 'divide the society'.

Separately, it also asked the Congress' star campaigners not to give 'false impression' of abolishing or selling the Constitution, make speeches that create 'mutual hatred or cause tension' between religious or linguistic communities or 'potentially divisive statements' regarding the socio-economic composition of the armed forces.

The EC’s letters to BJP president JP Nadda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge conveying its directions came 27 days after it issued separate notices to them on complaints against Modi, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. Though the complaints were annexed in the notice that were sent to party chiefs and not the alleged violators, the names of violators were not mentioned.

It also comes ten days before the seven-phased elections are ending on June 1 though the notices were issued a day before the second phase of polls on April 25. While Nadda had responded to the letter on May 13 after seeking two extensions, Kharge submitted his arguments on May 6 after seeking one extension. They were initially given time till April 29.

In its letter to Nadda, the EC said he has not denied the utterances mentioned in the Congress complaint though it 'stoutly defended' the campaign methods and remarks while invoking a 'unilateral drawing of inferences and interpretations' of star campaigners of opponents. It said its star campaigners continued with objectionable utterances even after the April 25 notice.

The latest communication came against the backdrop of complaints by Congress and other parties which referred to Modi’s speech in Banswara as “communal” where he spoke about Congress seeking to redistribute people’s wealth to “infiltrators”, in a veiled reference to Muslims, and that women’s ‘mangalsutras’ will be snatched.

Emphasising that Nadda’s defence was 'not tenable', the EC said, 'directs you as party president to also convey to all star campaigners to not make speeches and statements, which may divide the society. Directs BJP and its star campaigners to refrain from any campaigning methods/utterances along religious/communal lines'.

In its letter to Kharge, the EC said Kharge too has justified Congress star campaigners’ contentious remarks while claiming that the complaint had 'wilfully extracted only specific portions, devoid of context, to mislead the Commission'. Kharge also claimed that the BJP leaders were making 'motivated statements' invoking religious sentiments to attract voters.

The EC, which had taken cognisance of complaints against Kharge and Rahul, said the assertion of Congress’ star campaigners about the BJP attempting to change the Constitution was allegedly instilling fear in the minds of voters about an uncertain future and an attempt to spread anarchy in the country and could be considered as “corrupt practice” under election laws.

While insisting that it cannot accept the Congress arguments and find it untenable, the EC directed Kharge to convey to all star campaigners that they do not make statements which give a 'false impression such as the Constitution of India may be abolished or sold'.

Amid the Congress making a campaign point on the controversial Agniveer scheme, it also directed him to convey to star campaigners that they should not indulge in political propaganda involving the military and not make 'potentially divisive statements' regarding socio-economic composition of defence forces.

Both the party presidents to ensure that star campaigners refrain from making any statement that may “aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic”.

The EC also referred to controversial statements after the April 25 notice by star campaigners from both sides in its letters, referring to complaints and counter complaints.

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