NEW DELHI, (PTI): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday thanked Lord Hanuman as he stepped out of Tihar Jail on interim bail and sought people’s support in his ”fight against dictatorship”.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener was granted interim bail till June 1 by the Supreme Court earlier in the day.

He walked out of the prison in the evening amid dhol beats and sloganeering by AAP workers and leaders.

Standing through the sunroof of a car, Kejriwal then addressed AAP workers and supporters amid slogans of ‘Jail Ke Tale Toot Gaye, Kejriwalji Chhoot Gaye‘.

Beginning with slogans of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai‘, ‘Vande Mataram‘ and ‘Inquilab Zindabad‘, the Delhi chief minister said, ”I am fighting against dictatorship with all my might but 140 crore people (of the country) will have to come together to fight against it.” He further said that he would visit the Hanuman temple at Connaught Place at 11 am on Saturday and address a press conference at the AAP office at 1 pm.

”I am feeling great to be with you. I had told you that I would come out soon… First of all, I want to pay obeisance to Lord Hanuman. I am among you because of the blessings of Lord Hanuman,” Kejriwal added.

The AAP leader also thanked people for their love and blessings and asked them to come together to fight against dictatorship.

”I want to thank you all. Crores of people of the country sent their blessings to me. I want to thank the Supreme Court because of which I am here,” he added. (PTI)

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate Tuesday claimed in the Supreme Court that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal who stayed at the Grand Hyatt – a seven star luxury hotel in Goa, ran up bills running into several lakh during the 2022 Goa Assembly elections.

This amount is inclusive of food and beverages consumed by Kejriwal and other AAP leaders who joined him for meetings at the Grand Hyatt, the agency told the court.

A division bench of the SC was hearing Kejriwal’s plea for interim bail.

The ED also said it had evidence to prove that Kejriwal’s stay at the luxury hotel was partly paid for by another person, also an accused in the excise liquor policy case.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, stated that Kejriwal’s stay at a hotel during the 2022 Assembly elections in Goa was partially paid for by another accused Chanpreet Singh, who was arrested in the case on April 12.

The Enforcement Directorate alleged that Singh was the man who managed all funds and payments for the Aam Aadmi Party’s election campaign in Goa.

“We have found that Arvind Kejriwal stayed in a 7-star hotel called Grand Hyatt during the Goa elections,” Raju told the court. “And at that time, part of his bills were paid by the general administrative department of Delhi government, but part of it was paid by Chanpreet Singh.” Raju also alleged that Kejriwal used public funds of the Delhi government for political purpose during the 2022 state polls in Goa.

The SC is likely to pronounce its order regarding interim bail for Kejriwal to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls on 10th May. Delhi will vote on 25th May in the 6th phase of the Lok Sabha polls.

PANAJI: Curtorim independent MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco has confirmed that a letter bearing his photograph and so-called signature is FAKE and FORGED and requested Goans to take note of the same and not circulate or share the fake post.

A fake digital post in the form of a letter was doing the rounds on social media since Monday afternoon. The letter, which is in the form of an appeal, falsely claims that Lourenco has tendered his resignation as the Chairman of the IDC (Goa Industrial Development Corporation) and has withdrawn his support to the Goa BJP government.

Reginaldo confirmed that the entire letter / appeal is fake and his signature is forged. Sources said that the State Election Commission has been informed about the fake post, which has gone viral on social media. Since it involves the signature and name of an MLA and a government official (IDC Chairperson), the SEC is supposed to immediately forward the fake post to the appropriate police authorities for action, including registration of an FIR.

NEW DELHI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Tuesday issued a heatwave warning for several states across the country, including Maharashtra, North Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and West Bengal, in its latest weather forecast.

Parts of Maharashtra, North Goa and even some parts of South Goa could experience temperature spikes during the noon hours, triggering massive heat waves that could harm human beings and animals causing them to get unwell, the spokesperson for a private weather forecaster said.

Heatwave conditions will prevail in Goa till the end of the week, the IMD said, advising people to avoid outdoor travel between noon to 5 pm, whenever possible

Additionally, the IMD issued a separate warning specifically for cities in Maharashtra such as Thane, Mumbai, and Raigad, indicating an impending heatwave expected this week.

The weatherman has instructed people to stay indoors between 12 noon and 4 pm and if not possible then to avoid direct sunlight, stay in the shade as far as possible, drink lots of water and even splash water on your face, head and body to prevent a heat stroke while outside.

In Maharashtra, Mumbai and Thane are expected to experience minimum temperatures ranging from 36 to 38 degrees Celsius.

According to the IMD notification, heatwave conditions are forecasted to persist in Odisha and West Bengal until April 19, in Andhra Pradesh until April 18, in Telangana from April 17 to 18, and in North Goa til 16.

The weather department has forecasted hot and humid weather conditions for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Kerala until April 18, and for West Bengal, Odisha, Goa, Gujarat, and Karnataka on April 16.

Both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are also bracing for high temperatures, with heatwave conditions expected to prevail in both states from April 16 to 18.

MUMBAI: Former MP and Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, who was expelled from the party, claimed that he would contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Mumbai North West seat and win. He is expected to join the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena either tomorrow or day after.

Nirupam was sacked from the Congress, after he used coarse language against Udhav Thackeray for announcing a candidate from the seat which he was eying.

Speaking to media persons, he had also clarified that he would not contest independently but under a party symbol, meaning the ruling ‘Mahayuti’ alliance headed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Nirupam, who was interested in contesting from the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency, was miffed with the Congress for handing over the seat to the Shiv Sena (UBT).

In the Mahayuti (BJP group) seat-sharing deal, the Mumbai North West seat has been allocated to the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), and for Nirupam to get the ticket from North West, he has to join the Shinde Sena.

The Shiv Sena, under Shinde’s leadership, is still scouting for a suitable candidate for this seat, as MVA ally Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena has already nominated Amol Kirtikar.

The Mumbai North West constituency boasts a significant Marathi voter base, while Nirupam represents a prominent North Indian face with reasonable popularity in the locality.

NEW DELHI: Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal failed to get any relief today after the Delhi High Court rejected his pleas, challenging the time of his arrest and the procedure followed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

According to a Reuters report, in its order on Tuesday, the Delhi High Court said Kejriwal’s arrest was not in contravention of the law and “cannot be termed as illegal”.

The AAP said it would appeal to the Supreme Court and reiterated its position that the high-profile leader was arrested in a “fabricated” case in an attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to “finish” him.

Kejriwal, 55, was arrested by financial crime-fighting agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in connection with corruption allegations related to Delhi’s liquor policy, sparking protests in the capital and the northern state of Punjab, also governed by his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The trial court last week extended Kejriwal’s judicial custody until April 15 and moved him to Delhi’s Tihar jail, where two other senior AAP leaders are also held in the same case.

A third AAP leader detained in the case was granted bail recently, after being imprisoned for six months. In its order on Tuesday, the Delhi High Court said Kejriwal’s arrest was not in contravention of the law and “cannot be termed as illegal”.

PANAJI: Upset with the selection of candidates by the Congress for the North and South Goa constituencies, two senior Congress leaders are slated to join the BJP.

One of the leaders who spoke to this website said they are talking to BJP leaders in Goa and will take a decision soon.

The joining date will be decided by the Central leadership in Delhi, they said.

Senior BJP leaders in Goa did not comment and even feigned ignorance about the development. “We do not know. Many Congress leaders in Goa want to join the BJP,” they said.

Earlier in the day, the Congress named former Union Law Minister Ramakant Khalap as its candidate for the North Goa constituency and retired Naval officer Captain Viriato Fernandes for South Goa. The announcement was made during mid-day.

There were several contenders for the Congress tickets, both in North and South Goa, including former Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Girish Chodankar, who is said to be very close to Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader K C Venugopal.

The sitting MP and former Goa CM, Francisco Sardinha was also a contender from South Goa, but was dropped due to his age. Sardinha has been elected four times as an MP and six times as an MLA. He is one of the senior most politicians in the State of Goa. He said, though he was disappointed, he was not hurt and will support the party candidate.

NEW DELHI: With the stalemate continuing over the candidate for the South Goa Lok Sabha seat, reliable sources claimed that the Congress high command has sent two observers from a neighboring state to conduct a secret survey in the constituency.

Our source said, “The observers reached Goa on Wednesday and have already started their work in South Goa. They are visiting various  areas in the constituency and have been given a very clear assignment to focus on Ponda, Shiroda, Cuncolim, Quepem, Curchorem, Sanvordem, Sanguem and Canacona which have a huge ‘silent voter’ base. While the voting patterns of Nuvem, Curtorim, Benaulim, and Navelim are more or less known and predictable, voters in Margao are likely to vote for the BJP with Digambar Kamat using all his personal contacts.

The observers are expected to submit the details of their survey to the high command by Friday. It is learnt that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is personally monitoring the latest developments in South Goa and does not want to lose the seat at any cost.

A source close to the Congress President said that the South Goa Lok Sabha seat is a traditional Congress stronghold. “We are not going to lose this seat to the BJP merely because some leaders have put personal priorities above those of the party. The party President is personally monitoring the situation. The ticket will be given to the strongest candidate and no personal favors will be entertained,” the source said.

The Congress high command is very upset over the lack of unity among Congress leaders in South Goa. “Strict action will be taken after the polls are over. Anti-party activities, both openly and secretly will not be tolerated. We are analyzing the feedback from various sources. Heads are likely to roll if party leaders do not fall in line. There will be no favoritism and winability is the most important criteria. Loyal party workers should stay loyal and support the party. If they play games, they are not loyal to the party and action will be taken against them,” the source said, hinting at 2-3 South Goa Congress leaders who have created a rift in the party and angered voters.

The candidate is likely to be announced by the 7th (Sunday) or 8th April, the source said.