Aam Aadmi Party national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said even their opponents consider AAP a party of “hardcore honest” people who will sacrifice their lives but won’t betray the nation.

He was addressing during a roadshow at Binaganj town in the Guna district of Madhya Pradesh, which goes to polls in a single phase on November 17.

“Today our opponents also consider AAP a party of hardcore honest members. It is a party of patriots. We will sacrifice our lives but will never betray our nation,” Mr Kejriwal said.

The Delhi Chief Minister talked about his party’s “honesty” at a time when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned him in an excise policy-linked case in which AAP leaders, including Delhi’s former school education minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, have been arrested.

AAP has fielded former BJP MLA Mamta Meena from Chanchoda constituency in the district from where Congress Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh’s younger brother, Laxman Singh, is the sitting MLA. Priyanka Meena is the BJP candidate from this constituency.

Mr Kejriwal said Congress and BJP mainly ruled the country for 75 years but leaders of both parties just filled their own houses and did nothing for the people.

He highlighted the work done by his party in Delhi and Punjab in education, health and power sectors and said those can be done in Madhya Pradesh as well.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also addressed during the roadshow. He said that the large turnout at the rally indicated a “revolution” in the state.

Sloganeering and clapping by people in support of AAP express their frustration against the prevailing governance system, he said.

Mr Mann said that British rulers looted the country for 200 years but “our own parties are looting the country every five years taking turns”.

The Karnataka government has decided to use 24 TMC of Cauvery river water annually for drinking purposes in Bengaluru and its surrounding areas, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said on Wednesday.

He said in 2018, the Supreme Court had stipulated that 24 TMC of Cauvery water could be used for drinking water purposes in Bengaluru, but it was not used to date.

Interacting with reporters here, Mr Shivakumar, who is also in charge of the Water Resources Department, said he has directed the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board to prepare a plan to utilise 24 TMC of Cauvery water annually for drinking purposes in Bengaluru and surrounding areas.

“We have decided to utilize 24 TMC for overall drinking purposes,” he said.

Asked if the Tamil Nadu government will object to it, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “Drinking water is our first priority and we are following the order given by the Supreme Court. Let them raise any objections. Why should we give up our rights? We are now following the order given earlier”.

Regarding the Mekedatu multi-purpose (drinking and power) project, he said the Cauvery Water Management Authority has promised to take it up in the next meeting.

“We appeal to the authorities and the Supreme Court to grant permission to start the Mekedatu project. This project will help to draw water in times of distress and Tamil Nadu will benefit from this project,” Mr Shivakumar said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Investigation Agency (SIA) on Wednesday raided multiple locations in the union territory and Delhi in connection with a terror funding case, the agency said.

“Continuing with its endeavour to dismantle terror support systems in J&K, the SIA Kashmir conducted searches at houses and offices at 22 locations in J&K and Delhi,” the investigating agency said.

These locations include 18 in Srinagar, one each in Anantnag and Pulwama, and two in Delhi.

“The pre-dawn searches were carried out simultaneously by special teams of the SIA. During the search operation, incriminating material in the shape of bank documents, cash books, credit cards, debit cards, cheque books, invoices, mobile phones, SIM cards and passports etc., was seized, which will be analysed for further investigation,” the SIA said.

The case pertains to illegal raising, layering and laundering of proceeds of crime by the accused persons. These proceeds of crime might subsequently have been used in unlawful activities, including secessionism and terrorism, according to the agency.

The case was registered at SIA Kashmir police station on the basis of an inquiry.

During the inquiry, it was found that funds to the tune of Rs 85 crore were raised and laundered in less than two years, the SIA said.

The transactions were mostly cash-based to evade detection by law enforcement agencies. Based on the findings of the inquiry, case FIR No 08 of 2023 was registered under relevant sections of law, it said.

The raids were conducted on the strength of a search warrant issued by a special designated NIA court to collect evidence relevant to the ongoing investigation in the case, it said.

The SIA said it is committed to dismantling the terror ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir by choking terror financing channels, be it hawala, human cash couriers or banking channels.