Rahul Gandhi pledges to conduct surveys for wealth redistribution and ensure fair representation for marginalized groups post-elections. He criticizes the underrepresentation of these groups in key sectors and commends Telangana for rejecting divisive politics.

AAP leader Gopal Rai said that Arvind Kejriwal’s supporters across India and abroad will also participate in party’s ‘samuhik upwaas’. “People can observe the fast at their homes and support the Delhi Chief Minister,” he said.
All AAP MLAs, office-bearers will gather at Jantar Mantar for the mass fasting at 11 am. Security has been increased along the roads leading to the protest site as the police prepare for a huge turnout. Traffic may also be hit in parts of central Delhi due to heavy barricading.
The Aam Aadmi Party had last month called for a ‘gherao’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence. Several AAP leaders and workers – including women – were seen being shoved and dragged into the buses in which they were taken to various police stations in the national capital during the protest.
The AAP has hit out at the BJP over the timing of the arrest, alleging that it was trying to prevent Mr Kejriwal from campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. AAP ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj have said the Chief Minister is issuing orders from the ED’s lock-up and assured Delhi residents that the Chief Minister is constantly thinking about their well-being.
AAP has maintained that there will be no change in the leadership, even if that means Mr Kerjriwal functions as the Chief Minister from the prison. The BJP., meanwhile, has termed Mr Kejriwal’s “work from jail plan” a sham.
Mr Kejriwal’s arrest has also brought together the Opposition bloc, which was making more headlines recently over its differences than its unity.
In a show of strength, the INDIA alliance held a mega rally in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan last Sunday, accusing the BJP of decimating the Opposition through the Central investigative agencies.
Mr Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 in the alleged liquor policy scam after he skipped nine central agency summons, and has been running his government from the ED lock-up since then.
The central agency has accused the AAP leader of being a “conspirator”. The ED believes the now-scrapped policy provided a high profit margin and bribe money was allegedly used to fund the AAP’s election campaigns.
AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, and Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha have been arrested in this connection. The Opposition leaders have denied the allegations and accused the BJP-led central government of using probe agencies such as ED and CBI for political motives.

The Haryana government suspended the Kaithal sub-divisional magistrate-cum-assistant returning officer on Saturday, a day after the AAP alleged that its application seeking permission for two poll programmes was denied with abusive language in the reply.

According to an official order, Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officer Brahm Parkash has been suspended with immediate effect.

During the period of suspension, the headquarters of Parkash will be in the office of the chief secretary to the Haryana government in Chandigarh and he will not leave the headquarters without the chief secretary’s prior permission, the order said.

The AAP had alleged that its application seeking permission for two poll events from the authorities concerned was denied with abusive language in the reply.

Taking cognisance of the matter, Parkash had ordered the suspension of five computer operators and directed police to conduct a thorough probe.

Sushil Gupta, the Haryana unit chief of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) who is contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha election from the Kurukshetra constituency, had on Friday said the party had sought permission for the two poll programmes on April 7.

Kaithal is located within the Kurukshetra parliamentary constituency.

“In the reply we received, in one case, it was mentioned in writing that the permission has been rejected. In another, abuses were mentioned in the column where reasons for either approval or rejection have to be given,” Gupta had said.

Nothing can be more shameful than the use of such objectionable language, he had said while requesting the Election Commission for strict action in the matter.

AAP leaders said they had applied for the permission for the April 7 programmes on the designated portal.

The Lok Sabha polls are scheduled to be held in seven phases starting April 19 and the counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.

Haryana goes to polls on May 25. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)