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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11 more bodies retrieved from Arunachal accident site
Itanagar (PTI): Eleven more bodies were retrieved on Saturday from the deep gorge in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district, where a mini-truck on which 22 labourers from Assam were travelling fell, an official said.
With this, 17 bodies have been recovered from the accident site, Anjaw's deputy commissioner Milo Kojin said.
He said three more bodies will be brought out on Sunday.
The operation, being conducted by a joint team of the NDRF and Army, resumed at 6 am.
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"The retrieval process was extremely difficult because of the treacherous terrain, and the gorge is very deep," Kojin said.
The operation was suspended around 4 pm due to low visibility and will be resumed on Sunday morning, he said.
"One person is still missing, and a search operation will be carried out tomorrow," he added.
The accident happened on the evening of December 8, around 40 km from Hayuliang towards Chaglagam in the district. On the evening of December 10, one survivor managed to climb out of the gorge and reach a nearby Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) labour camp, following which the authorities were alerted.
Six bodies were recovered from the gorge on Friday and handed over to their families on Saturday.
