All schools in Delhi to remain closed on Monday due to incessant rain: CM Arvind Kejriwal
New Delhi, Jul 9: All the schools in Delhi will remain closed on Monday in view of the incessant rain in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced.
Delhi recorded 153 mm rain in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Sunday, the highest in a single day in July since 1982, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
An interaction between a Western Disturbance and monsoonal winds is leading to an intense rainfall spell over northwest India, including Delhi, which experienced the season's first "very heavy" rainfall on Saturday.
"In view of the torrential rains in the last two days and keeping in mind the warnings of the meteorological department, all schools will remain closed on Monday," Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.
The Safdarjung observatory, the city's primary weather station, recorded 153 mm rain in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Sunday, the highest since the 24-hour rainfall of 169.9 mm on July 25, 1982, a senior IMD official said.
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Congress calls for probe over BJP's 'use of blackmail' to bring Ajit Pawar into NDA fold
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Saturday called for a probe into alleged "blackmail" and "coercion" used to bring NCP leader Ajit Pawar into the NDA fold and said the BJP's "washing machine" was nowhere more powerful than in Maharashtra.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's recent remarks to claim that the issue involved not just the use of "coercion and blackmail" but also breach of the oath of confidentiality and the Official Secrets Act.
"The BJP's washing machine is an all-India phenomenon but perhaps nowhere was it more powerful than in Maharashtra," he said.
When in opposition before 2014, the BJP raised allegations about massive corruption by Ajit Pawar, then the state's irrigation and water resources minister, Ramesh pointed out and added that the allegations claimed corruption to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore.
Ajit Pawar has now confirmed that blackmail and coercion surrounding these charges were used by the BJP to bring him over to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Congress leader claimed.
"The non-biological prime minister himself led the charge, famously labelling the NCP -- now his much beloved ally at the state and Centre -- as a Naturally Corrupt Party," he said.
"Ajit Pawar has now revealed that after becoming chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis showed him a file recommending an open inquiry against Ajit Pawar in the alleged irrigation scam. One can only imagine the threat that was implicit in this move: submit to us, or face action," Ramesh said.
Ajit Pawar and several other MLAs broke away from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by his uncle Sharad Pawar and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state last year.
Ramesh asserted that this was a serious matter since it involved not just the use of coercion and blackmail but also breach of the oath of confidentiality and the Official Secrets Act.
An investigation should be conducted into this matter, the Congress leader said.
His remarks came days after Ajit Pawar alleged he was "backstabbed" by close colleague and then home minister RR Patil, who ordered an open inquiry against him in the alleged multi-crore irrigation scam.
Ajit Pawar claimed a file mentioning Patil's remarks ordering an inquiry was shown to him by BJP leader Fadnavis after he became chief minister in 2014.
He made these claims while addressing a rally for NCP candidate Sanjay Kaka Patil, who is in the fray against the late Patil's son Rohit from Tasgaon in Sangli district.
