AAP pitches for Arvind Kejriwal as prime ministerial candidate for INDIA bloc
New Delhi (PTI): The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday pitched for Arvind Kejriwal as the prime ministerial candidate for the opposition INDIA bloc, saying that as Delhi chief minister he has given a model that the whole country can benefit from.
The party's chief national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar told PTI that Kejriwal has always presented a budget that is "in profit and pro-people".
Her comments came a day ahead of the INDIA alliance's meeting in Mumbai during which the opposition leaders are expected to chalk out a joint campaign strategy to take on the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and iron out the differences among themselves.
To a question on who should be the prime ministerial candidate for the INDIA alliance, Kakkar said, "As a spokesperson, I would propose our national convener Arvind Kejriwal's name."
She said Kejriwal has constantly raised the issues of the people and "has given a model" which has led to the least inflation in Delhi. "He has given a model that benefits the people. I would want it to happen but the decision is not in my hands," the AAP's chief spokesperson said.
The AAP's Delhi convener Gopal Rai said, "Every party wants their leader to become prime minister. AAP members also want their national convener to become PM. All members of the INDIA alliance will sit down and whatever the decision is, we will go accordingly."
When asked whether the AAP will propose Kejriwal's name as a prime ministerial candidate, he said, "There is nothing like giving a name. We are already its part and Arvind Kejriwal is a part of the bloc."
Last year, during an interview with PTI, the AAP's senior leader and then Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia had also pitched for Kejriwal as prime minister.
"'Ek Mauka Kejriwal Ko' (One chance to Kejriwal) has become a national level talk, Sisodia had said.
"People see Kejriwal as an alternative to (Narendra) Modi in 2024 because he talks about health, education and employment," he had told PTI.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
