Congress-BJP having tacit deal: Kejriwal

April 29, 2014

Varanasi, April 29: The AAP convenor asked why Congress president Sonia Gandhi and BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had not campaigned in each other’s constituencies.

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Raking up both the snoopgate and Robert Vadra land deal controversies, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday accused both the Congress and the BJP of having a tacit pre-poll understanding and not taking any action against each other on the two issues.

He also asked why Congress president Sonia Gandhi and BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had not campaigned in each other’s constituencies.

Targeting the Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr. Kejriwal said, “Narendra Modi should clarify his stand on Vadra issue. If BJP is really serious on this issue, why BJP-led Rajasthan government doesn’t register an FIR against him.

“BJP and Congress have joined hands. They just pass comments against each other, but their party-led governments don’t take action against their ‘men’,” he told reporters here.

“If I could register an FIR against Sheila Dikshit and Mukesh Ambani, why BJP-led government cannot register an FIR against Vadra in the last four months in Rajasthan,” he asked.

Going on to target Congress, Mr. Kejriwal said, “If Congress-led UPA Government is really serious on Adani issue, so why doesn’t it ask CBI to probe his role. They (BJP and Congress) don’t do nothing, but only pass comments against each other.”

The AAP leader accused both the parties of having an understanding.

“It has been four months since probe in the snoopgate scandal was handed over to CBI. If CBI wanted, Mr. Modi would have been arrested. BJP and Congress have their deals,” he charged.

Referring to Mr. Modi’s remarks on the issue of taking action against Mr. Vadra, he charged, “There is an internal setting between Congress and BJP“.

Mr. Modi had recently said there will be no witch-hunt against Mr. Vadra.

Condemning the attack on his party volunteers here, he alleged that BJP “goons” were trying to create an environment of fear among the people of Varanasi and also among AAP supporters.

The former Delhi Chief Minister alleged that BJP workers were beating AAP supporters in different parts of Varanasi.

“Violence is not the culture of Varanasi. BJP is creating an atmosphere of terrorism in Varanasi. They (BJP) threaten AAP supporters. BJP workers also tore posters of AAP installed on autos,” he charged.

Mr. Kejriwal claimed that Mr. Modi will lose the elections from Varanasi seat so this is BJP’s ‘baukhalahat’ (restlessness) that they are resorting to such physical attacks.

“Earlier these attacks were confined to me but now BJP goons are targeting AAP supporters. If this is the kind of situation before elections then what will happen after elections if even by mistake Modi wins from here. Imagine what kind of situation will be there in Varanasi and this country,” he said.

“I want to tell them that we will not get scared by such attacks and fight for the country to save the culture of Varanasi and country,” he said.

He demanded that central forces be deployed in Rohania and Sevapuri constituencies of the city as people in villages might be “stopped from voting“.

“It’s the feedback that we have got from villages in both these constituencies,” said Mr. Kejriwal.

He also said that if need be, central forces must be deployed in the rest of the city so that people can go to vote freely and free from any fear of BJP.

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News Network
December 6,2025

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New Delhi: IndiGo, India’s largest airline, faced major operational turbulence this week after failing to prepare for new pilot-fatigue regulations issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The stricter rules—designed to improve flight safety—took effect in phases through 2024, with the latest implementation on November 1. IndiGo has acknowledged that inadequate roster planning led to widespread cancellations and delays.

Below are the key DGCA rules that affected IndiGo’s operations:

1. Longer Mandatory Weekly Rest

Weekly rest for pilots has been increased from 36 hours to 48 hours.

The government says the extended break is essential to curb cumulative fatigue. This rule remains in force despite the current crisis.

2. Cap on Night Landings

Pilots can now perform only two night landings per week—a steep reduction from the earlier limit of six.

Night hours, defined as midnight to early morning, are considered the least alert period for pilots.

Given the disruptions, this rule has been temporarily relaxed for IndiGo until February 10.

3. Reduced Maximum Night Flight Duty

Flight duty that stretches into the night is now capped at 10 hours.

This measure has also been kept on hold for IndiGo until February 10 to stabilize operations.

4. Weekly Rest Cannot Be Replaced With Personal Leave

Airlines can no longer count a pilot’s personal leave as part of the mandatory 48-hour rest.

Pilots say this closes a loophole that previously reduced actual rest time.

Currently, all airlines are exempt from this rule to normalise travel.

5. Mandatory Fatigue Monitoring

Airlines must submit quarterly fatigue reports along with corrective actions to DGCA.

This system aims to create a transparent fatigue-tracking framework across the industry.

The DGCA has stressed that these rules were crafted to strengthen flight safety and align India with global fatigue-management standards. The temporary relaxations are expected to remain until February 2025, giving IndiGo time to stabilise its schedules and restore normal air travel.

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News Network
December 16,2025

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The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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