Atishi, Raghav Chadha meet Kejriwal in Tihar; get directions to curb water, power crises
New Delhi (PTI): Amidst the persisting water and power crises in Delhi, state minister Atishi and AAP MP Raghav Chadha said on Thursday that they met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal lodged in the Tihar jail and were directed to take measures to curb the problems as soon as possible.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener is lodged in Tihar jail's number 2 in the excise policy-linked money laundering case.
"Today I met Kejriwal ji, who is lodged in Tihar jail in a fake case by the central government. But, he still worries about the people of Delhi, more than himself.
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"He inquired about the issues related to the power and water and he told me that he watched the water crisis in Delhi on television in Tihar," Atishi told media outside the Tihar jail.
She said Kejriwal has directed them to take all necessary steps and arrangements that could be made to overcome the water crisis as soon as possible.
"He has directed all the AAP legislators to go on the ground and take all possible steps to provide water to the people in their areas," she said.
Atishi further said Kejriwal inquired about the power cuts in Delhi which had occurred due to a fire incident in Uttar Pradesh two days ago.
"He told us to hold the meetings with the concerned department officials to prevent the power crisis from happening in the future," she said.
The education minister further said Kejriwal only thinks about the people of Delhi and their problem, even while staying behind bars, she added.
According to Tihar sources, both Atishi and Chadha met Kejriwal for half-an-hour in the visitor's room (Mulakati Jangla) in Tihar.
On Wednesday, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Kejriwal's wife Sunita visited him in Tihar.
VIDEO | "Today, I came to meet Arvind Kejriwal who is inside the Tihar jail in connection with a fraud case. He said that he has seen on TV how there's a water crisis. He has given me the clear direction to take whatever decisions needed to resolve it," says Delhi Minister Atishi… pic.twitter.com/gMc6LecjP4
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 13, 2024
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
