Meeting rescheduled due as official not available, says AAP
New Delhi, June 18: Delhi's ruling AAP on Monday that the government had to reschedule a meeting on status of rations due to non-availability of the Food Commissioner.
Food and Supply Minister, Imran Hussain had, on Monday, called for a meeting to "review the distribution of ration in Delhi", but due to the unavailability of Food Commissioner Mohanjeet Singh, it had to be rescheduled for Tuesday, Aam Aadmi Party spokesman Saurabh Bhardwaj told the media here.
Hussain had called the meeting to review the status of availability of ration at the fair price shops and for distribution of ration to eligible ration card holders for the month of June.
"The basic protocol requires that whenever an IAS officer is not able to attend any meeting called by a minister, he or she should at least write to the minister stating their reason for the absence. But there was no intimation from Mohanjeet Singh's side," Bhardwaj said.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter to highlight the absence of IAS officials at the meet, despite their announcement they they are not on strike.
"Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain reschedules the meeting of Food & Supply Dept tomorrow over ration supply issues as none of the officials and IAS turned today for the meeting called by the minister," he tweeted.
Kejriwal, along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and cabinet ministers Satyendra Jain and Gopal Rai, had been camping at the Lt. Governor's office since June 11, demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi government to end their undeclared strike and take action against officers who have struck work for "four months".
The face-off ensued after Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash alleged in February that he was assaulted by two AAP MLAs in the presence of Kejriwal at the Chief Minister's residence. Following this, the IAS officers in Delhi were not attending routine meetings called by the ministers.
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Chandrashekhar Swamiji apologises for remark on denying voting rights to Muslims
"If my statement has upset our Muslim brothers, I deeply regret it."
Bengaluru: Kumara Chandrashekharanath Swamiji, head of the Vishva Okkaliga Mahasansthana Mutt, has expressed regret over his controversial statement suggesting that "Muslims should be denied voting rights."
In a press release, Swamiji clarified, "Muslims are also citizens of this country. Like everyone else, they too have voting rights. If my statement yesterday has caused discomfort to our Muslim brothers, I sincerely apologise for it."
He further added, "Okkaligas are inherently tolerant of all religions. We have always treated people of every faith equally. Our Mutt maintains cordial relations with Muslims, and they frequently visit us. Similarly, we attend their weddings and other joyous occasions. Hence, there is no intolerance towards this community." Swamiji appealed to the public to disregard the controversy surrounding his remark.
The controversial statement was made during a farmers' rally, ‘Raita Gharjana,’ organised by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Karnataka Pradesh, at Freedom Park, Bengaluru, on Tuesday. Addressing the gathering, Swamiji had said, "A law should be enacted to deny voting rights to the Muslim community, and the Wakf Board should be abolished."
The remark drew widespread criticism from political leaders and the public alike. Following the backlash, Swamiji issued his apology, stating, "Muslims are also citizens of this country. Like everyone else, they too have voting rights. If my statement yesterday has caused discomfort to our Muslim brothers, I sincerely apologise for it."
