AAP to ramp up campaign for Delhi statehood from July 3
New Delhi, July 1: Even as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday blamed the Lt Governor for the inability to deliver in various spheres, the Aam Aadmi Party announced its plan to ramp up its campaign over its demand for full statehood to Delhi.
Addressing a gathering of thousands of AAP supporters, Ministers and MLAs here, Kejriwal said that if "Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfils his promise of granting Delhi full statehood before the 2019 general elections, his party will once again win all seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital. If not, then in the next election, he should be ready to be left empty-handed."
He said that it was the L-G (Anil Baijal) who had not let his government build "more Mohalla Clinics, educational institutions, ensure ration delivery at doorsteps and install CCTVs for the people of Delhi."
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will, in the next phase of "Dilli maange apna haq" (Delhi demands its right) campaign, will reach out to 10 lakh families here from July 3-25 for signatures in support of full statehood demand.
"Our party workers will go to every household in Delhi, along with a letter from (Chief Minister) Kejriwal, to sign a letter to demand full statehood for Delhi. We will then deliver these signed letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.
Addressing the gathering, Cabinet Minister Gopal Rai exhorted everyone present to actively participate in the campaign, as the AAP plans to open at least 3,000 centres throughout the national capital for the purpose.
"Anyone who wishes to volunteer at out campaign centres can dial 7065049000. Take the forms from the centre, get it signed and submit the form there again. From there, these will be sent along with the Chief Minister's letter to Modi," Rai said.
Kejriwal announced that submission of 10 lakh letters to Modi was just the first phase of his party's programme in respect of its demand.
"The AAP will continue their fight for the people of Delhi and continue the campaign until each and every resident of Delhi is covered," he said.
Since the central government says that Delhi is the national capital and hence cannot be given full statehood, Kejriwal suggested that while the areas under the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) can come under the central government, the rest of Delhi should be given full statehood.
"The NDMC zone, where all the dignitaries live, should be handled by the central government and remaining Delhi should be given full statehood so that when the time comes, the people can demand answers from the state government," the Chief Minister said.
Talking about his "incomplete" project of building at least 1,000 Mohalla Clinics, the AAP national convenor said: "The clinics which offer free medicines and treatment is now known around the world for its facilities but the L-G will still not let us build anymore clinics here. Nonetheless, six leaders from six countries will visit the existing 150 clinics on September 6, which just shows the success of our project."
Towards the end of the meeting, Kejriwal said that the people of Delhi will fight and if the L-G doesn't support this, then he might as well be the "last L-G of Delhi".
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
