Kejriwal alleges BJP ad abused his community, to move EC

February 2, 2015

New Delhi, Feb 2: Aam Aadmi Party Chief Arvind Kejriwal today said that he will complain to the Election Commission against the BJP for allegedly attacking his community in an advertisement.

Kejrival

"BJP in the past few days has been giving few advertisements personally attacking me. They attacked me and my children, I kept quiet because Anna used to say that if someone personally attacks you, you should have the strength to bear it. But today they have crossed their limit," he told reporters.

"They have called the entire community 'updravi'. BJP's fight is with me, whatever they have to say they should say it against me, they should not attack the entire Aggarwal community," he said.

The BJP advertisement targets Kejriwal for threatening to disrupt the Republic Day parade last year while complaining this year that he was not been invited for the event.

"Desh ke karodon log gantantra divas ko rashtriya parv mante hain, us par garv karte hain (The country's crores of people consider Republic Day as a national festival and feel proud about it). Aur apka updravi gotra isme vyavdhan dalne ko taiyar tha (And your trouble maker community was ready to disrupt it).

"This is unacceptable and they should apologise from the entire community. We will complain to EC that BJP has stooped down to racial attacks. Delhi's people do not like this abusive politics," Kejriwal said.

The AAP chief also called a meeting of top party leaders at his residence to deliberate on the issue.

AAP leader Ashutosh came down heavily on the BJP, saying people will teach the saffron party a lesson in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.

"BJP stooped another low. Now it has attacked Kejriwal's GOTRA in today's advertisement. People belonging to his GOTRA will teach BJP Lesson (sic)," he said on micro-blogging site on Twitter.

Kejriwal has often described himself as a "baniya" to reach out to traders' community, which have traditionally supported BJP.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) last week also took a swipe at the BJP for its newspaper advertisement in which Anna Hazare's sketch was shown with a garland, asking the saffron party whether it had had "killed" the veteran anti-corruption crusader.

AAP leaders Kumar Viswas and Yogendra Yadav also slammed BJP for the controversial advertisement.

"I am sure public will give an appropriate answer to this personalised attack by BJP on February 7. Now that they are targeting him by attacking his gotra, it only shows that they have the same mentality as Sakshi Maharaj and the so called Sadhvi," Viswas told reporters.

Yogendra Yadav pointed out that EC should have seen the advertisement before it went to print.

"As per the rules, EC has to approve any advertisement before it goes to print. We will ask the EC if they had seen the advertisement," he said.

"I feel if BJP will give one such low-grade advertisement every day and one interview of Kiran Bedi live on TV, half of our campaigning job will be done.

The remaining half we will complete by telling people about our plan of action for reducing electricity, water tariffs and dealing with other issues. So, I am in a way thankful to them.

"There was lot of hue and cry when Arvind Kejriwal had called himself a 'baniya'. I want to see what will be the reaction to this advertisement now," added Yadav.

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News Network
December 16,2025

jordan.jpg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman, during which the two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral relations, with the Prime Minister outlining an eight-point vision covering key areas of cooperation.

Describing the meeting as “productive”, PM Modi said he shared a roadmap focused on trade and economy, fertilisers and agriculture, information technology, healthcare, infrastructure, critical and strategic minerals, civil nuclear cooperation, and people-to-people ties.

In a post on social media platform X, the Prime Minister praised King Abdullah II’s personal commitment to advancing India–Jordan relations, particularly as both countries mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year.

“Held productive discussions with His Majesty King Abdullah II in Amman. His personal commitment towards vibrant India-Jordan relations is noteworthy. This year, we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of our bilateral diplomatic relations,” PM Modi said.

The meeting took place at the Al Husseiniya Palace, where the two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), both sides agreed to further deepen cooperation in areas including trade and investment, defence and security, counter-terrorism and de-radicalisation, fertilisers and agriculture, infrastructure, renewable energy, tourism, and heritage.

The MEA said both leaders reaffirmed their united stand against terrorism.

PM Modi arrived in Amman earlier on Monday and was received by Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, who accorded him a formal welcome. Following the talks, King Abdullah II hosted a banquet dinner in honour of the Prime Minister, reflecting the warmth of bilateral ties.

Jordan is the first leg of PM Modi’s three-nation tour. From Amman, the Prime Minister will travel to Ethiopia at the invitation of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, marking his first official visit to the African nation. The tour will conclude with a visit to Oman.

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News Network
December 6,2025

pilot.jpg

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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