Anna Hazare happy at Kejriwal's defeat, silent on allegations against Modi govt, claims Sanjay Raut
Mumbai, Feb 10 (PTI): Veteran social activist Anna Hazare is happy at the defeat of Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi assembly polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said on Sunday.
The BJP ended the Aam Aadmi Party's reign in Delhi by winning 48 seats in the 70-member assembly there. Among the prominent losers was Kejriwal from New Delhi constituency.
Raut also questioned the silence of Hazare on corruption allegations made over the past some years against the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.
"Where was Hazare when corruption occurred during Modi's rule? Hazare is happy over Kejriwal's defeat. The country is being looted with wealth concentrated in the hands of a single industrialist. How can democracy continue in such a situation? What could be the secret behind Hazare's silence at such a time," Raut questioned.
"There was a similar pattern regarding voters' list confusion in Maharashtra as well as in Delhi. However, Hazare chose to remain silent on such issues. Similar complaints were made in Haryana as well. These will come up in the Bihar polls too," the Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP told reporters.
Since the BJP came to power in 2014, elections have not followed constitutional procedures, he alleged.
"Victory is being secured through manipulation and money power," Raut claimed.
The outcome of the Delhi polls would have been different if the AAP and Congress had contested in alliance, he opined.
Hazare, while speaking to reporters on Saturday, after the Delhi poll results were declared, claimed Kejriwal did not pay attention to what he had told him and "only focussed on liquor", a reference to the scrapped excise policy brought in by the outgoing government.
"I have always said a candidate's conduct and thoughts must be pure, his life should be without blame and and it must involve sacrifice. These are the qualities that builds trust among voters. I had told this to Kejriwal but he did not pay heed. He was overwhelmed by money power," Hazare had said a day earlier.
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Finland's President Stubb kicks off 4-day visit to India; trade, innovation top agenda
New Delhi (PTI): Finnish President Alexander Stubb began a four-day visit to India on Wednesday to bolster bilateral cooperation across a wide spectrum of areas, including trade, investment and critical technology.
Stubb will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday following which the two sides are expected to firm up a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to boost cooperation in a number of sectors.
The crisis in West Asia is likely to figure prominently in the meeting.
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"The visit will further strengthen the relations between Finland and India, including in the area of trade," Stubb said before leaving for New Delhi.
The Finnish president will grace as the chief guest at the inaugural session of the Raisina Dialogue on Thursday evening.
Stubb was accorded a warm welcome at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh.
"India and Finland share a warm and friendly relationship rooted in shared democratic values. President Stubb's visit will impart further energy to India-Finland relations," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media.
The Finnish president is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and business leaders.
Stubb's visit to India comes weeks after Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo travelled to New Delhi for the AI Impact Summit.
The Finnish president will also meet President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President C P Radhakrishnan.
Stubb will travel to Mumbai on Friday where he is scheduled to meet several business leaders. The Finnish leader will conclude his visit on Saturday.
