Indian Navy’s anti-piracy missions secure maritime routes. Recent operations showcase commitment to safety at sea & regional security
The ‘Loktantra Bachao’ (Save Democracy) rally, which will be held at Ramlila Maidan in the national capital, has been organised after the arrest of Mr Kejriwal in the Delhi liquor policy scam last week but is being seen as a show of strength and unity by the INDIA bloc ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
The opposition is expected to speak out strongly against what it calls the BJP’s misuse of central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, CBI, and the Income Tax Department. The issue has taken centre stage after the arrests of Mr Kejriwal and former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, and the tax notices issued to the Congress, including one for Rs 1,800 crore which was sent on Friday.
Some of the leaders in attendance will be Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, senior party leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Senior RJD leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav. Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren, National Conference President Farooq Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, and the DMK’s Tiruchi Siva.
The Trinamool Congress, which had jolted the alliance by deciding to go it alone in West Bengal for the Lok Sabha polls, is also likely to send a representative. The party’s leader in the Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien, is expected to share the stage with representatives from the Left parties, including Sitaram Yechury of the CPM, which is his party’s bitter rival in West Bengal.
From the AAP, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will be at the rally with other senior leaders. Arvind Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal is expected to be present and Hemant Soren’s wife, Kalpana Soren, will also attend. Ms Kejriwal and Ms Soren had met on Friday and said they have decided to “take the fight forward together”.
It is unclear whether Ms Kejriwal, who has taken a more public role after her husband’s arrest and has been accused by BJP leaders of preparing to take over the chief minister’s chair, will speak at the rally.
The Congress has said the rally will send a “strong message” to Lok Kalyan Marg, where the Prime Minister’s residence is located, that the BJP-led government’s “time is up”. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “It is not a person-specific rally. That is why it is called Loktantra Bachao rally. This is not one party’s rally, about 27-28 parties are involved. All constituents of the INDIA ‘janbandhan’ will be taking part in the rally.”
The AAP has received permission from the authorities to hold the rally with more than 20,000 people. AAP’s Punjab working president, Budh Ram, said the party has set a target of over 1 lakh people from the state participating in it.
The Delhi Traffic Police has issued an advisory and said restrictions and diversions will be in place on several roads from 9 am to 3 pm today. Commuters have been advised to avoid the routes and use public transport, especially the Metro, as far as possible.
The BJP has maintained that both Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate and the tax notices to the Congress were the result of the agencies acting independently and following legal procedures. It has also hit out at the AAP for insisting on the Delhi chief minister running the government from jail.
An argument broke out between the district magistrate and MP Afzal Ansari here on Saturday during the last rites ceremony of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari — also Afzal’s brother — allegedly over who can enter the burial ground.
Thousands of people from Ghazipur district and nearby areas turned up to attend the last rites of Mukhtar Ansari who died of cardiac arrest in Banda on Thursday.
According to local sources, the argument took place when the district administration, in an attempt to manage the crowd gathered, allegedly stopped some people from entering the cemetery to scatter ceremonial soil on the grave as part of the burial ritual.
A purported video of the incident surfaced on social media platforms, in which Afzal Ansari can be heard saying, “You cannot stop anyone from offering soil.” To this, Ghazipur DM Aryaka Akhoury replies, “People of the family can offer soil. Will the entire town offer soil?” Afzal Ansari retorted that “anyone from anywhere who wants to offer soil will do so”.
When the DM cited the prohibitory orders imposed in the district and asked if any permission has been sought for it, Ansari replied, “You cannot stop anyone from participating in a burial despite Section 144 (of CRPC).” The DM said the funeral was being videographed and legal action will be taken.
The local administration made elaborate security arrangements outside Ansari’s residence and the burial ground.
Police faced a tough time managing the crowd who tried to force their way into the burial ground where entry was restricted. Varanasi Zone Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Piyush Mordia was present in Mohammadabad to supervise the arrangements.
When the funeral procession reached the cemetery, Afzal Ansari also appealed to the crowd to maintain peace.
According to the DIG of Varanasi Range, OP Singh, adequate police force was deployed everywhere. The Ansari family has been cooperating with the police. People started gathering in the area from Friday night and announcements were made to ensure that there was no overcrowding, he said.
Asked about some people in the crowd raising slogans, he said Mukhtar Ansari’s family members had given a list of 40 to 50 people who were allowed to stay at the Kali Bagh cemetery at the time of burial.
The rest were stopped after the prayers. There is complete peace, OP Singh added.
Personnel of the police, Provincial Armed Constabulary and paramilitary forces were deployed at all important places. As the crowd swelled, more security personnel were deployed in the area later.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)