Live: AAP dharna in keeping with our manifesto, says Yadav by Ayeshea Perera 5 mins ago January 20, 2014
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Delhi Police asked Kejriwal to shift his protest to Jantar Mantar, citing prohibitory orders in the high-security area. Police made it clear that the protest will not be allowed to continue in the area.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chaos-at-Delhi-CM-Kejriwals-protest-venue-RAF-called-in/liveblog/29092284.cms
5.45 pm: Injured AAP MLA taken to hospital
The injured AAP MLA has been taken to Delhi's RML hospital.
CNN-IBN reports that there are hardly any measures in place given the sudden nature of the protest.
5.42 pm: No plan yet of removing Kejriwal from dharna, says MHA
Meanwhile MHA sources were reported by CNN-IBN as saying that they have immediate plans of removing Arvind Kejriwal from the dharna venue.
5.33 pm: Delhi Police detains AAP protesters
The Delhi police has now started detaining AAP protesters who were sitting in a dharna at the Rail Bhawan area.
CNN-IBN reports that DTC buses were brought in to ferry out supporters from the area.
An MLA, according, AAP members have been injured because of police lathi charge.
Television visuals show AAP members crowding around said MLA and fanning him and giving him water.
5.19 pm: Yogendra Yadav, Sanjay Singh join dharna
After Manish Sisodia, AAP leaders Yogendra Yadav, Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh have joined the dharna against the Delhi police.
5.03 pm: Why celebrate Republic Day? asks AAP
AAP ministers have made it clear that they won't move their protest to Jantar Mantar.
Arvind Kejriwal said, "What is the point of celebrating Republic Day when women are getting raped in Delhi. If our dharna is hampering preparations, Centre is responsible."
Somnath Bharti, toeing party line said there is no need to celebrate republic day.
4.13 pm: Congress slams Arvind Kejriwal, says AAP on dharna to protect their own ministers
Delhi Congress Chief Arvinder Singh Lovely has slammed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying there was a limit to lies and the government cannot get away by holding dharnas.
Speaking at a press conference, Lovely said Kejriwal was on a protest only to protect his ministers and not for any other reason.
"If he was interested in solving the Delhi gangrape case he would have acted faster and not said 'I'll meet the Delhi Police Commissioner only after one week'."
The Congress further attacked the AAP government saying those in executive positions cannot take law into their own hands.
4.05 pm: AAP workers, Delhi Police clash outside Rail Bhavan
Aam Aadmi Party workers clashed with police personnel outside Rail Bhavan in New Delhi where Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is holding a protest against the Delhi Police.
According to NDTV, Rapid Action Force have been brought to the site in case the situation worsens. The Ministry of Home Affairs has directed Arvind Kejriwal to take his protest to Jantar Mantar as the current area is under section 144 of IPC.
Meanwhile, CM Arvind Kejriwal has started working from the dharna site with files already piling up at the venue.
3.57 pm: AAP does it again, issues press release with sexual assault victims name
After Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti issued a press release last week (that was soon withdrawn) naming the Danish gangrape victim, his party today released a Uganda High Commission letter to the party which had the name of a woman who allegedly faced assault by AAP workers.
The party, though, soon sent another email withdrawing its release saying it had named the victim.
3.45 pm: AAP workers gherao Union Minister Manish Tewari
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari was forced to abandon his car and walk to office after Aam Aadmi Pary workers gheraoed his car and shouted slogans against him.
The minister, though, was unfazed and walked to office with a smile, saying he is a grass root political worker as well.
3.29 pm: Won't pull plug on Delhi govt as yet, says Congress
While the AAP government in New Delhi is now protesting against the UPA government outside Rail Bhavan in New Delhi, the Congress party has decided not to withdraw support to the minority government, but to adopt a wait-and-watch approach.
Senior Congress MLA and former Delhi minister Haroon Yusuf, reacting to Kejriwal's sit-in protest against the Home Minister said,“This is usual practice of the Aam Admi Party. They are used to holding dharnas and they are continuing with it even after forming the government. They could have talked to higher authorities and the Home Minister instead of dealing with it with his kind of tamashe baazi. This is the first time in the history of democracy that a CM and ministers is holding a dharna. Let us see what he does.”
2.48 pm: Kejriwal urges women to join protest
In a sign that he has well and truly dug his heels in, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has urged women in Delhi to come and join their protest against the police. Insisting that the agitation would be held for ten days, Kejriwal added that maintaining law and order would be the responsibility of the Delhi police.
This view was echoed by senior leader Yogendra Yadav, who said that although it was unusual for a CM to sit on dharna on such a small demand, it was necessary because of the troubles faced by the people of Delhi.
"We are doing the politics of listening to people's voices. People of Delhi don't know who to approach with problems. We are taking up their problems", he said.
http://www.firstpost.com/politics/delhi-live-delhi-police-detains-aap-protesters-near-rail-bhawan-1348359.html
2.20 pm: Anyone who has faced injustice by Delhi police, should come protest, says Yadav
After justifying AAP's dharna against the police as the fulfillment of the party election manifesto, Yadav went on to urge the people of Delhi to join the protest. "All those who have faced police inefficiency and corruption should come protest with us", he said.
Yadav added that the party was totally against racism. "If any of our volunteers/ministers have done any such acts we will take action", he said in relation to charges that state Law Minister Somnath Bharti had made several racist references to two Ugandan women who he had accused of being involved in a sex and drugs racket.
"The Uganda High Commission wrote to us with an instance of how women are brought to India and forced into the sex trade. They thanked us", he said.
These arguments are more or less along the same lines as what Kejriwal said earlier in the day.
2:15 pm: Protest in keeping with AAP's manifesto, says Yadav
Yadav pointed out that the AAP had promised in its manifesto that the Delhi Police would be brought under the state government and not under the central government.
He then proceed to read out from the manifesto that spoke about how they had promised to bring the Delhi Police under the government.
"The actions of the Chief Minister were merely to ensure that we keep our promise that we listed in the manifesto," Yadav said.
2:00 pm: Yadav questions accountability of the Delhi Police
AAP's Yogendra Yadav is now holding a press conference in which he's justifying the protest rally against the Delhi Police.
The lack of accountability has become very clear from the actions of the Delhi Police over the last few days," Yogendra Yadav said.
He spoke of the woman being burnt by her in-laws, the Danish gangrape case, the Khirkee village raid and said the three cases were proof of the Delhi police's inaction.
"They had met the Union Home Minister to take some action to send a message...We said that at least transfer them, but that was also refused," Yadav said.
The leader pointed out that in the event of an inquiry it was standard practice to transfer the official to prevent them from influencing the probe.
"The question is whether the Delhi police is accountable to the people of Delhi or not?" Yadav said.
1:50 pm: Digvijaya Singh says laws aren't made on streets
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has criticised Kejriwal for his protest and said that he should remember that laws aren't made in the street but in Parliament and Assemblies.
"If the Delhi Chief Minister wants to be allowed the right to protest in the streets then the Delhi Police should also be allowed to do its job," Singh said.
1:45 pm: Sisodia says that everyone in Delhi who has a problem with city police should join
Minister Manish Sisodia is now on the stage and is urging people to join the protest that he says will continue until their demands are met.
"Kejriwal's health is terrible and any other government employee would have taken four days off. But here he is protesting," Sisodia said.
If family in Delhi that believes their mothers and sisters are not safe should join the protest, he said.
The minister said that Delhi would only feel safe when they felt that police officials were there to protect them and not to serve VIPs.
"This year it won't be the Republic Day for VIPs but an independence day for the Aam Aadmi," Sisodia said.
1:20 pm: Take it to Jantar Mantar, Delhi cops tell Kejriwal
The Delhi Police has reportedly told the Chief Minister that he can continue his protest rally but has to take it to Jantar Mantar and not in the garden outside Rail Bhawan.
Whether the Chief Minister will agree remains to be seen.
12:50 pm: Congress says won't withdraw support yet, BJP slams AAP
The Congress has reportedly said that despite the Delhi Chief Minister going up against its Home Minister, it won't be withdrawing support to the AAP government for now.
However, Congress activists did protest outside the Delhi Police commissionerate's office demanding that Kejriwal be arrested.
Meanwhile the BJP has hit out at the AAP but not over Kejriwal's comments but over inconveniencing travellers.
"They indulged in politics in the name of Aam Aadmi,its Aam Aadmi who has faced trouble most today due metros shutting down," Harsh Vardhan said.
http://www.firstpost.com/politics/live-aap-dharna-in-keeping-with-our-manifesto-says-yadav-1348359.html
Not seen such lawlessness in Delhi: BJP on AAP's Dharna
07:34 PMDelhi police is working under Cong's instructions. You are busy fighting us and neglecting rape cases and prostitution?: Sanjay Singh, AAP leader
Protesting against Delhi Police, Arvind Kejriwal said people will teach the Congress a lesson in the coming Lok Sabha election.
07:26 PMWhen Shiela Diksit used to say that Delhi Police wasn't under her control, AAP used to make fun of her: Digvijaya Singh
07:24 PMThe police misbehaved with us, arrested us, then drove us around and then let us go: Delhi transport minister Saurabh Bhardwaj
07:10 PMWe haven't detained or arrested anyone. We didn't hit anyone, reports are false: Mukesh Meena (Joint CP) on AAP dharna
07:01 PMAny constitutional crisis or disturbance in Republic Day celebrations will be the responsibility of Centre, Kejriwal says
The incident occurred when police disconnected Kejriwal's audio system prompting angry response from the AAP supporters. The police pushed some of the supporters when they tried to break barricades.
"There is a question about their ability to govern. It shows that they are brilliant agitators, but they are not serious and sober people for governance," Jairam Ramesh said.
06:31 PM"A very unusual situation has come up in Delhi. People who are supposed to protect the constitution are trying to destroy it. It seems that AAP wants to implement the Rowlatt Act of British times again," said Arvinder Singh Lovely, Delhi Pradesh Congress committee chief.
06:25 PM"AAP knows they'll not be able to deliver on the promises, so they are resorting to this gimmickry. AAP supporters, who are creating anarchy on the streets of Delhi tried, heckle me," I&B minister Manish Tewari said.
06:21 PMDelhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal cleared official files from his sit-in site outside the Rail Bhavan as he asserted that governance will not be allowed to suffer because of the protest. "I would run the government from the dharna site. Functioning of the government will not be affected because of the protest," Kejriwal said.
06:16 PMOn what basis was MLA Akhilesh Tripathi beaten up? Why was transport minister Saurabh Bhardawaj detained? Arvind Kejriwal tweeted
06:05 PMDelhi has a peculiar condition where the state does not have control over police which rests with the Central government," Nitish Kumar told reporters.
06:04 PMBihar chief minister Nitish Kumar refused to comment on his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal sitting on a dharna, but said it would rest on the wisdom of a CM to deal with a situation where he had no control over police.
06:01 PMIn our manifesto, we have said AAP will struggle to bring Delhi Police under the control of Delhi government. Clause 12 in the manifesto clearly says that: Yogendra Yadav said
05:36 PMHitting out at the Congress, which supports the Aam Aadmi Party government, Sitharaman accused it of being a "mute spectator to AAP-created chaos on the Delhi streets".
05:35 PMBharatiya Janata Party leader Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted that "governance is about making systems work. Activism can't be substituted for governance".
08:26 PMCentral Secretariat and Udhyog Bhavan metro stations will remain closed tomorrow from 6am to 10am in the wake of sit-in protest by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party.05:22 PM
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chaos-at-Delhi-CM-Kejriwals-protest-venue-RAF-called-in/liveblog/29092284.cms
5.45 pm: Injured AAP MLA taken to hospital
The injured AAP MLA has been taken to Delhi's RML hospital.
CNN-IBN reports that there are hardly any measures in place given the sudden nature of the protest.
5.42 pm: No plan yet of removing Kejriwal from dharna, says MHA
Meanwhile MHA sources were reported by CNN-IBN as saying that they have immediate plans of removing Arvind Kejriwal from the dharna venue.
5.33 pm: Delhi Police detains AAP protesters
The Delhi police has now started detaining AAP protesters who were sitting in a dharna at the Rail Bhawan area.
CNN-IBN reports that DTC buses were brought in to ferry out supporters from the area.
An MLA, according, AAP members have been injured because of police lathi charge.
Television visuals show AAP members crowding around said MLA and fanning him and giving him water.
5.19 pm: Yogendra Yadav, Sanjay Singh join dharna
After Manish Sisodia, AAP leaders Yogendra Yadav, Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh have joined the dharna against the Delhi police.
5.03 pm: Why celebrate Republic Day? asks AAP
AAP ministers have made it clear that they won't move their protest to Jantar Mantar.
Arvind Kejriwal said, "What is the point of celebrating Republic Day when women are getting raped in Delhi. If our dharna is hampering preparations, Centre is responsible."
Somnath Bharti, toeing party line said there is no need to celebrate republic day.
4.13 pm: Congress slams Arvind Kejriwal, says AAP on dharna to protect their own ministers
Delhi Congress Chief Arvinder Singh Lovely has slammed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying there was a limit to lies and the government cannot get away by holding dharnas.
Speaking at a press conference, Lovely said Kejriwal was on a protest only to protect his ministers and not for any other reason.
"If he was interested in solving the Delhi gangrape case he would have acted faster and not said 'I'll meet the Delhi Police Commissioner only after one week'."
The Congress further attacked the AAP government saying those in executive positions cannot take law into their own hands.
4.05 pm: AAP workers, Delhi Police clash outside Rail Bhavan
Aam Aadmi Party workers clashed with police personnel outside Rail Bhavan in New Delhi where Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is holding a protest against the Delhi Police.
According to NDTV, Rapid Action Force have been brought to the site in case the situation worsens. The Ministry of Home Affairs has directed Arvind Kejriwal to take his protest to Jantar Mantar as the current area is under section 144 of IPC.
Meanwhile, CM Arvind Kejriwal has started working from the dharna site with files already piling up at the venue.
3.57 pm: AAP does it again, issues press release with sexual assault victims name
After Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti issued a press release last week (that was soon withdrawn) naming the Danish gangrape victim, his party today released a Uganda High Commission letter to the party which had the name of a woman who allegedly faced assault by AAP workers.
The party, though, soon sent another email withdrawing its release saying it had named the victim.
3.45 pm: AAP workers gherao Union Minister Manish Tewari
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari was forced to abandon his car and walk to office after Aam Aadmi Pary workers gheraoed his car and shouted slogans against him.
The minister, though, was unfazed and walked to office with a smile, saying he is a grass root political worker as well.
3.29 pm: Won't pull plug on Delhi govt as yet, says Congress
While the AAP government in New Delhi is now protesting against the UPA government outside Rail Bhavan in New Delhi, the Congress party has decided not to withdraw support to the minority government, but to adopt a wait-and-watch approach.
Senior Congress MLA and former Delhi minister Haroon Yusuf, reacting to Kejriwal's sit-in protest against the Home Minister said,“This is usual practice of the Aam Admi Party. They are used to holding dharnas and they are continuing with it even after forming the government. They could have talked to higher authorities and the Home Minister instead of dealing with it with his kind of tamashe baazi. This is the first time in the history of democracy that a CM and ministers is holding a dharna. Let us see what he does.”
2.48 pm: Kejriwal urges women to join protest
In a sign that he has well and truly dug his heels in, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has urged women in Delhi to come and join their protest against the police. Insisting that the agitation would be held for ten days, Kejriwal added that maintaining law and order would be the responsibility of the Delhi police.
This view was echoed by senior leader Yogendra Yadav, who said that although it was unusual for a CM to sit on dharna on such a small demand, it was necessary because of the troubles faced by the people of Delhi.
"We are doing the politics of listening to people's voices. People of Delhi don't know who to approach with problems. We are taking up their problems", he said.
http://www.firstpost.com/politics/delhi-live-delhi-police-detains-aap-protesters-near-rail-bhawan-1348359.html
2.20 pm: Anyone who has faced injustice by Delhi police, should come protest, says Yadav
After justifying AAP's dharna against the police as the fulfillment of the party election manifesto, Yadav went on to urge the people of Delhi to join the protest. "All those who have faced police inefficiency and corruption should come protest with us", he said.
Yadav added that the party was totally against racism. "If any of our volunteers/ministers have done any such acts we will take action", he said in relation to charges that state Law Minister Somnath Bharti had made several racist references to two Ugandan women who he had accused of being involved in a sex and drugs racket.
"The Uganda High Commission wrote to us with an instance of how women are brought to India and forced into the sex trade. They thanked us", he said.
These arguments are more or less along the same lines as what Kejriwal said earlier in the day.
2:15 pm: Protest in keeping with AAP's manifesto, says Yadav
Yadav pointed out that the AAP had promised in its manifesto that the Delhi Police would be brought under the state government and not under the central government.
He then proceed to read out from the manifesto that spoke about how they had promised to bring the Delhi Police under the government.
"The actions of the Chief Minister were merely to ensure that we keep our promise that we listed in the manifesto," Yadav said.
2:00 pm: Yadav questions accountability of the Delhi Police
AAP's Yogendra Yadav is now holding a press conference in which he's justifying the protest rally against the Delhi Police.
The lack of accountability has become very clear from the actions of the Delhi Police over the last few days," Yogendra Yadav said.
He spoke of the woman being burnt by her in-laws, the Danish gangrape case, the Khirkee village raid and said the three cases were proof of the Delhi police's inaction.
"They had met the Union Home Minister to take some action to send a message...We said that at least transfer them, but that was also refused," Yadav said.
The leader pointed out that in the event of an inquiry it was standard practice to transfer the official to prevent them from influencing the probe.
"The question is whether the Delhi police is accountable to the people of Delhi or not?" Yadav said.
1:50 pm: Digvijaya Singh says laws aren't made on streets
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has criticised Kejriwal for his protest and said that he should remember that laws aren't made in the street but in Parliament and Assemblies.
"If the Delhi Chief Minister wants to be allowed the right to protest in the streets then the Delhi Police should also be allowed to do its job," Singh said.
1:45 pm: Sisodia says that everyone in Delhi who has a problem with city police should join
Minister Manish Sisodia is now on the stage and is urging people to join the protest that he says will continue until their demands are met.
"Kejriwal's health is terrible and any other government employee would have taken four days off. But here he is protesting," Sisodia said.
If family in Delhi that believes their mothers and sisters are not safe should join the protest, he said.
The minister said that Delhi would only feel safe when they felt that police officials were there to protect them and not to serve VIPs.
"This year it won't be the Republic Day for VIPs but an independence day for the Aam Aadmi," Sisodia said.
1:20 pm: Take it to Jantar Mantar, Delhi cops tell Kejriwal
The Delhi Police has reportedly told the Chief Minister that he can continue his protest rally but has to take it to Jantar Mantar and not in the garden outside Rail Bhawan.
Whether the Chief Minister will agree remains to be seen.
12:50 pm: Congress says won't withdraw support yet, BJP slams AAP
The Congress has reportedly said that despite the Delhi Chief Minister going up against its Home Minister, it won't be withdrawing support to the AAP government for now.
However, Congress activists did protest outside the Delhi Police commissionerate's office demanding that Kejriwal be arrested.
Meanwhile the BJP has hit out at the AAP but not over Kejriwal's comments but over inconveniencing travellers.
"They indulged in politics in the name of Aam Aadmi,its Aam Aadmi who has faced trouble most today due metros shutting down," Harsh Vardhan said.
http://www.firstpost.com/politics/live-aap-dharna-in-keeping-with-our-manifesto-says-yadav-1348359.html