AAP to walk out of oppn meet if Cong doesn't promise support against Centre's ordinance: Sources
New Delhi, Jun 22: The AAP will walk out of Friday's meeting of opposition leaders in Patna if the Congress does not promise its support against the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in Delhi, party sources said.
Reacting to the development, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Thursday said Arvind Kejriwal will not be missed at the meeting if he chooses to skip it.
The meeting of opposition parties has been called by Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar to chalk out a joint strategy to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Kejriwal is also slated to attend the meeting.
"The AAP will stage a walkout of the meeting if the Congress does not promise its support against the ordinance," one of the sources said.
Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal had expressed hope on Tuesday that the Congress would clear its stand on the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in the national capital at the meeting of non-BJP parties in Patna.
In a video statement, Dikshit said, "No one will miss you Kejriwalji ... whether you go there or not. We already knew that you were looking for excuses for not attending the opposition meeting. Let me tell you that this is a meeting of those who care about the country, not a meeting of bargainers."
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses defence minister in surprise announcement
Jerusalem, Nov 5: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region.
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival. Netanyahu cited “significant gaps” and a “crisis of trust” between the men in his Tuesday evening announcement.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister,” Netanyahu said. “Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister.”
In the early days of the war, Israel's leadership presented a unified front as it responded to Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. But as the war dragged on and spread to Lebanon, key policy differences have emerged. While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant had taken a more pragmatic approach, saying that military force has created the necessary conditions for a diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the Hamas group.
Gallant, a former general who has gained public respect with a gruff, no-nonsense personality, said in a statement: “The security of the state of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life's mission."
Gallant has worn a simple, black buttoned shirt throughout the war in a sign of sorrow over the October 7 attack and developed a strong relationship with his US counterpart, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
A previous attempt by Netanyahu to fire Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Netanyahu. He also flirted with the idea of dismissing Gallant over the summer but held off until Tuesday's announcement.
Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister who was a junior officer in the military. Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu rival who recently rejoined the government, will take the foreign affairs post.
Netanyahu has a long history of neutralising his rivals. In his statement, he claimed he had made “many attempts” to bridge the gaps with Gallant.
“But they kept getting wider. They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy - our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it,” he said.
