SC order granting Kejriwal bail 'big relief', message to BJP-led Centre to stop dictatorship: AAP
New Delhi (PTI): AAP on Friday demanded that the BJP should apologise to the country for keeping a "staunchly honest" leader like Arvind Kejriwal in jail, and said the Supreme Court order granting him bail in the excise policy case has exposed the BJP's "lies".
At a joint press conference here, senior AAP leader and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said the Supreme Court order granting bail to Kejriwal was a moment of "big relief" for the party and its leaders and workers.
"It is not just the issue of bail granted to Kejriwal. The court has also given a big message to the BJP-led Centre to stop its dictatorship," he said.
He said the top court order is important not just for AAP but also as an assurance that if anyone resorted to "dictatorship", the Supreme Court would ensure the dominance of the Constitution.
The BJP was using the agencies to keep Kejriwal in jail, Sisodia alleged, adding that the CBI deliberately arrested Kejriwal to keep him in prison.
"The BJP intended to keep Kejriwal in jail, so the CBI arrested him after he got bail in the ED case. The CBI fulfilled the intentions of the BJP," the AAP leader alleged.
"The bail order is a big slap on the BJP's face. The court noted that the CBI was acting like a caged parrot," Sisodia said.
He said the BJP should introspect as it has been "completely exposed" and "apologise to the country for keeping a staunchly honest leader like Kejriwal in jail".
On the BJP's reaction to the bail order that the apex court granted the AAP national convenor conditional bail and that he continues to be an accused in the corruption case, the former deputy chief minister said, "BJP is talking about bail conditions imposed on Kejriwal because it is scared."
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh claimed that the whole excise policy case was based on a foundation of "lies" to "defame Kejriwal and finish off the Aam Aadmi Party".
"Kejriwal's bail granted by the Supreme Court is proof that the BJP's mountain of lies has now collapsed," he said.
"AAP will the defeat of the BJP in the Haryana and Delhi polls. Kejriwal's presence will strengthen us," Singh added.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
