AAP will form government in K'taka like it did in Delhi, Punjab: Kejriwal
Bengaluru, Apr 21: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would form a government in Karnataka like it did in Delhi and Punjab, Chief Minister of the nation's capital Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday.
We, the common people, were challenged to get into politics when we demanded law against corruption. We formed a political party. Our first government was formed in Delhi and then in Punjab. Now, we will form our next government in Karnataka, the AAP chief said while addressing a farmers' rally, organised by various farmers' body, led by the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS).
The KRRS convenor Kodihalli Chandrashekar joined the AAP and called upon the KRRS members to extend full support to the party.
Speaking about the alleged corruption in Karnataka, Kejriwal said the previous Congress government was called "20 per cent commission government" and the current BJP government "40 per cent commission government."
Kejriwal referred to the recent suicide by a civil contractor who had accused in a purported suicide note Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa of charging 40 per cent commission.
Delhi has zero per cent commission government because there is a hardcore honest government in Delhi. Not a paise is taken as bribe, Kejriwal said.
Stating that he got a certificate from Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being the most honest government, Kejriwal said the CBI, income tax and Delhi police raids were carried out against him, his deputy Manish Sisodia and 17 MLAs but the agencies could not find anything concrete to frame them.
Referring to the riots in Delhi and elsewhere in Karnataka, Kejriwal said all the rowdies, rogues, uncouth and corrupt across the country go to one political party'.
A Minister's son murders farmers by driving his jeep over them, but his father is rewarded with a ministerial position. Whoever commits rape gets a rousing welcome. A small girl was raped, they took out a Shobha Yatra'. In such a scenario how can the country prosper? Kejriwal said.
We don't know about engineering riots. There are riots across the country. Who is doing this? Which party does riots? People of the country do not want riots. They want peace, they want to live peacefully, the AAP chief said.
He said if people want riots, they should vote for "them" but if they need schools, hospitals, free electricity, free transport, free water, they should vote for the AAP.
The Chief Minister said AAP does not know anything about rowdyism because his party is of gentle people, patriots and honest, who want schools, hospitals, roads, potable water, electricity and free transport.
Speaking about farmers, the Chief Minister said even after 75 years of independence their condition has not improved.
Though 45 per cent of the population depend on agriculture, the children of farmers don't wish to join politics.
He congratulated farmers for their massive agitation, which forced the Centre to scrap the three farm laws 13 months after their promulgation.
Welcoming Kodihalli Chandrashekar into the AAP, he said the party would transform the lives of farmers if voted to power. He appealed to the farmers to join the AAP and end corruption in Karnataka.
Speaking on the occasion, Kodihalli Chandrashekar said the purity and sanctity of the KRRS would remain though the organisation toils round-the-clock to ensure that the AAP comes to power in Karnataka.
According to Chandrashekar, neither the BJP nor the Congress nor the JD(S) were options anymore to rely upon and called upon farmers across the State to back the AAP, as it is offering alternative politics.
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Catholic Bishops' body slams Bhagwat's remarks
New Delhi: The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India on Thursday slammed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his reported remark that Pranab Mukherjee, when he was President, had said tribals would turn "anti-national" if there is no "ghar wapsi"Catholic Bishops.'
In a statement issued here, CBCI, a body of Catholic Bishops, referred to reports which said Bhagwat, at an event on Monday, claimed that Mukherjee, while he was President had appreciated ghar wapsi and told him that had it not been for the Sangh's work on reconversion, a section of Adivasis would have turned "anti-national".The CBCI called the report "shocking".
"Fabricated personal conversation being attributed to a former president of India and its posthumous publication with the vested interest of an organization with questionable credibility raises a grave issue of national importance," the CBCI claimed.
"Is it not the violent ghar wapsi program of VHP and other similar organizations, curtailing the exercise of freedom of conscience of economically deprived tribals, the real anti-national activity?" it asked.
'Ghar wapsi' is a term used by the RSS and affiliated organisations to refer to reconversion of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism, based on the belief that they were originally Hindus before converting to other religions.
The CBCI also questioned why Bhagwat did not speak about it while Mukherjee was alive.
"We, the 2.3 percent of Indian citizens who are Christians feel extremely hurt by such manipulated and motivated propaganda unleashed," it said.
In a post on X following the statement issued by CBCI, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien said, "Speak up. This is a start!"
"Bishops body have issued a statement condemning remarks made by Dr Mohan Bhagwat and RSS for defaming the Christian community," he said.
O'Brien added that they should ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi more questions, including why Christmas Day has been turned into "Good Governance Day".
The TMC leader, in a blogpost earlier this month, had said "hard questions" must be asked to the government with regards to the Christian community, including why the FCRA has been 'weaponised', and why has Manipur been 'ignored'.
