Congress leaders from Delhi, Punjab meet Kharge, Rahul Gandhi; sources say party may not support AAP
Ordinance row
New Delhi, May 29: Congress leaders from Delhi and Punjab met the party leadership here in separate meetings on Monday, and suggested them not to support the Aam Aadmi Party on the Delhi services Ordinance issue, sources said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had convened a meeting of leaders from the two states for seeking their opinion on the matter. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi was also present during the meetings.
The sources said a majority of the leaders told the leadership to have no truck with Arvind Kejriwal, calling him a "B-team" of the BJP and claiming he harmed the Congress' interests not only in Delhi and Punjab but other states as well.
From the Delhi Congress, around 7-8 senior leaders attended the meeting, they said.
"All leaders clearly said the AAP shouldn't be supported in the matter of Ordinance but the final call is with the high command. However, the Delhi Congress views the matter of ordinance as a state government issue and not as an issue of any individual or as a matter of showing support to the AAP," a source in the party told PTI.
The meeting comes in the wake of Kejriwal requesting a meeting with Kharge and Gandhi to seek their support against an Ordinance brought by the Centre which effectively nullified a Supreme Court order that gave to the Delhi government the power of transferring bureaucrats in the city.
Kharge has reportedly conveyed to Kejriwal he will take a call on the matter after having a word with state party leaders. The sources said the Congress leadership will also meet party leaders from other states before deciding its position.
Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring told reporters after the meeting they have put across their views before the party high command and left the final decision to it.
"All the leaders have said the party high command will decide and we have left it to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to take the final decision," Raja Warring told reporters after the meeting.
Former party chief Navjot Sidhu said what transpired during the meeting was a secret and only the Congress chief or Rahul Gandhi would divulge the details.
He, however, said India's Constitution is a sacred 'granth' and he took inspiration from it.
"But, I can say emphatically that the values of the Constitution are at its lowest ebb," he said, citing instances where the Centre "trampled upon" the Constitution.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Two killed, one injured in bike-SUV collision in UP's Banda
Banda (UP) (PTI): Two people were killed and another injured on Sunday morning after their motorcycle collided head-on with an SUV near a village in Naraini area in the district, police said.
The accident took place near Padmai village at around 5 am when all three individuals riding the motorcycle were returning home from a wedding ceremony, Naraini SHO Sandeep Tiwari said.
According to the police, the motorcyclist, Ajay Rajput, 24, a resident of Barua Kalinjar village, died on the spot, while his cousin, Prabha, 20, passed away at the hospital during treatment.
His brother-in-law, Rakesh, 23, who sustained critical injuries, is currently undergoing treatment at the Banda Medical College, police said.
The police have seized the SUV and registered a case in connection with the incident, the SHO said.
The bodies of the deceased have been sent for a post-mortem, police said.
