India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
Jalandhar: Three years after dismissing Punjab's number one rank in the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 as "fudged" and "fake," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) govt is now celebrating the state's top performance in NAS 2024 with much fanfare.Chief minister Bhagwant Mann, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and senior party functionaries highlighted Punjab's achievement at a special event held in Sangrur on July 6. They credited the success to sustained efforts in improving school education and lauded the role of govt schoolteachers.While the party's social media platforms and speeches referenced Punjab's low 29th rank in NAS 2017 to showcase the improvement, they skipped any mention of NAS 2021 -- when Punjab also topped the rankings.In NAS 2021, Punjab had ranked first across all subjects in classes III, V and VIII. For Class X, it secured the top three positions in five subjects, topping in mathematics, second in three others, and third in English, behind Chandigarh and Goa.As the results came out in the last week of May 2022, initially, there was no reaction from the ruling party, even as the opposition leaders congratulated the teachers and students and also questioned the state govt's silence. They took digs at AAP, stating that it promoted the 'Delhi model' in Punjab elections, but the national capital's schools lagged behind in the survey in all the classes.Eventually, then education minister and current Sangrur MP Meet Hayer broke his silence, claiming that the 2021 results were based on "fudged data". The remark drew strong criticism from opposition parties and netizens, who questioned how the figures could be fudged when the test was conducted by the Central Bureau of School Education (CBSE). A month later, in the last week of June 2022, even CM Mann remarked in the state assembly that it was a fake number one ranking and his govt would show how to make them real number one.Prior to NAS 2021, Punjab had topped the Performance Grading Index (PGI) for 2019-20, released in June 2021. AAP had mocked the ranking, with then Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia alleging that the achievement was due to a "secret friendship" between then Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Punjab had climbed steadily in the PGI rankings: from 22nd place in 2017-18, to 13th in 2018-19, and finally to the top spot in 2019-20, largely credited to education reforms initiated under the leadership of then education secretary Krishan Kumar and backed by CM Amarinder.The next year, in NAS 2021, the state was at the top position. Punjab was again among the top performers in the PG Index 2020-21, the report of which was released in 2022, and AAP stayed silent.After the PG Index report 2021-22 was released in 2023, in which Punjab was at number two in overall performance with 647.4 scores, while Chandigarh was at the top with 659 scores, it was for the first time in Nov 2023 that the AAP govt acknowledged the state's consistent performance in the school education sector, which started before it came to power. At that time, AAP posted on its X handle, "Punjab retains its top position in PG Index report," and mentioned 'Sikhiya Kranti' and the budgetary provisions for different tasks pertaining to school education and other efforts.For the fifth consecutive year, Punjab was at the top among the states in the PG Index 2.0 for 2022-23 and 2023-24, released by the Union ministry of education last month. UT Chandigarh was at the top for 2022-23 and 2023-24.MSID:: 122322689 413 |
Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha and Union minister JP Nadda on Thursday said that the Chair should not be questioned or criticised about admissibility, calling it contempt of the House and Chairman. He also condemned Mallikarjun Kharge for criticising the Chair in a press conference the day before, calling it wrong. "The Chair cannot be questioned with regard to admissibility or for any other purposes. The Chairman's ruling cannot be questioned or criticised; to do so is contempt of the Hous ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Atishi on Thursday described Aam Admi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal as a prominent leader and said he is the first leader who understood the pain of women. "Arvind Kejriwal, the prominent leader, is the first leader in the history of this country who understood the pain of women. The biggest concern for women is that they have to stretch out their hands before a man even for their humble needs. In childhood, it is before their parents, before their spous ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Atishi on Thursday described Aam Admi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal as a prominent leader and said he is the first leader who understood the pain of women. "Arvind Kejriwal, the prominent leader, is the first leader in the history of this country who understood the pain of women. The biggest concern for women is that they have to stretch out their hands before a man even for their humble needs. In childhood, it is before their parents, before their spouses when they grow up and in old age, before their children," CM Atishi told ANI. "To fulfil this n ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 2 (UNI) UPSC teacher and motivational speaker Awadh Ojha joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in New Delhi on Monday in the presence of AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Addressing the media, Arvind Kejriwal said, "With Ojha's entry into politics, the country's education sector will be strengthened." "Awadh Ojha has empowered lakhs of youth by providing quality education, enabling them to secure employment and lead better lives. His joining the Aam Aadmi Party will further strengthen the country's education system," he add ...Read More >
Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced several pre-election promises targeting auto drivers. These include a ₹10 lakh insurance policy, ₹1 lakh for daughters' marriages, a biannual ₹2,500 uniform allowance, free coaching for their children, and the relaunch of the 'PoochO' ride-booking app. Kejriwal and the AAP are campaigning to secure a third term in the upcoming February elections.Ahead of crucial Delhi assembly polls, Arvind Kejriwal promised several measures for auto dri ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 11 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Wednesday reached the office of the Election Commission to meet the Chief Election Commissioner. Kejriwal has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to cut votes from the voters' list ahead of the Delhi Assembly election. Meanwhile, Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia alleged that the BJP had submitted a large number of applications for the deletion of voters' names from the electoral rolls, including those who have been living in the same area for yea ...Read More >
Kottayam: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Kerala and Tamil Nadu have always supported each other, establishing a model of cooperative federalism. He said that when rights of states are being encroached upon, such cooperation should be extended among others. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Vijayan inaugurated the Thanthai Periyar Memorial and Library in Vaikom in Kerala on Thursday, marking a significant occasion in the commemoration of the legacy of social reformer Periyar E.V. Ramasamy. Several key political leaders from both Tamil Nadu and Kerala, underscored the longstanding ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 5 (ANI): Jitender Singh Shunty, a Social activist and Padma Shri awardee joined Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the presence of the Party's National Convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday. Jitender Singh Shunty is also the founder of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sewa Dal (SBS) Foundation. Upon officially joining the party, Kejriwal expressed his admiration for Jitender Singh Shunty's significant contributions to society during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. He highlighted Shunty's dedication and efforts in supporting those in need and commended his commitment to ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 6 (ANI): The Lok Sabha as part of the Winter Session of the Parliament has been adjourned until 11:00 am on December 9, as announced by the Speaker on Friday. The proceedings of the lower house were adjourned until 12 pm earlier in the day as disruptions continued for the ninth consecutive day of the winter session, with opposition members raising slogans and creating ruckus over various contentious issues. Also Read | Hashimpura Massacre Case: Supreme Court Grants Bail to 8 Convicts in Infamous 1987 Massacre Case. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla made a fervent appeal ...Read More >
New Delhi: Chaos erupted in political circles after Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar informed the house on Friday that a bundle of cash was found on a seat allotted to senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi. "I hereby inform the members that during the routine anti-sabotage check of the chamber after the adjournment of the House yesterday. Apparently, a wad of currency notes was recovered by the security officials from seat number 222 which is presently allotted to Abhishek Manu Singhvi, elected from the state of Telangana..The matter was brought to my notice, and I made sure an in ...Read More >
The Delhi BJP also shared a rap song "Delhi ka millionaire" alleging corruption against the party's top leadership. In a recently-released video, the Delhi BJP has given a tour of the luxurious bungalow of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, where he lived while serving as the Chief Minister of the state. The party also shared a rap song "Delhi ka millionaire" alleging corruption against the party's top leadership. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, who shared the video on X, called the Civil Lines bu ...Read More >
The Sena UBT chief spokesperson was reacting to Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad's comment that West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee should be allowed to lead the INDIA bloc. Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said that his party was open to discuss if someone outside of the Congress party should lead the Opposition INDIA bloc. Speaking in New Delhi Delhi, Raut said that all the constituents of the INDIA bloc are willing to have a discuss ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 11 (ANI): Rohini District Court on Wednesday issued a notice to BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj in a civil defamation suit filed by AAP leader Satyendra Jain. Jain has stated that Bansuri Swaraj made defamatory remarks in an interview with a television channel in October 2023. Senior Civil Judge Naina Gupta issued notice to Bansuri Swaraj and others and sought a response to the suit. The next date of hearing is 22 February 2025. Jain has prayed for direction to the TV channel to take down the content in question and restrain her from making further statements. Jain has cla ...Read More >
New Delhi: Delhi government cabinet on Thursday gave its nod to the cash assistance scheme for women, Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, ahead of the Delhi Assembly Elections scheduled for next year. The announcement was made by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, Arvind Kejriwal, in the presence of Chief Minister Atishi and other women legislators. The scheme was part of the Delhi government budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year. It had a proposed allocation of Rs 2,000 crore and was proposed by Kejriwal early this year. "This scheme is for empowering women and addressing their financial needs. W ...Read More >
Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, has accused two top AAP leaders of backing separate candidates for the Barnala assembly bypoll on November 20. Bajwa claimed that while one leader is supporting the official AAP candidate, the other is backing a rebel candidate. He urged the public to reject both and vote for the Congress candidate. Bajwa also took a jibe at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, suggesting he could become Punjab's "Eknath Shinde" after reportedly being in contact with the Union Home Ministry through a Punjab-based Union minister. ...Read More >
New Delhi: AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday alleged that the names of a large number of voters had been deleted from the electoral roll ahead of Delhi Assembly polls. Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said the BJP filed applications with the Election Commission of India (ECI) to delete the names of thousands of voters in Shahdara, Janakpuri, Laxmi Nagar, and other seats. "The BJP has filed an application to delete the names of 11,018 voters in the Shahdara area, but when we cross-checked that application on 500 names, 75 per cent of people were still living there, but the ...Read More >
The BJP has accused Rahul Gandhi of collaborating with "anti-India international forces," citing a Mediapart report on OCCRP's funding and Gandhi's meetings with alleged Modi government critics. The party highlighted the timing of reports critical of India coinciding with parliamentary sessions, including those on farmers, Pegasus, Hindenburg, and the BBC documentary.BJP on Thursday accused Lok Sabha's Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of colluding with 'anti-India international forces'. The ruli ...Read More >
INDIA bloc MPs, donning black jackets with slogans like "Modi Adani Ek Hai", protested at Parliament demanding a joint probe into the Adani issue. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused PM Modi of evading discussion on the "Adani mega scam" while defending Adani's alleged corruption. Rahul Gandhi asserted that Modi won't investigate Adani as it would be like investigating himself.Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Thursday said the country's people want the "Adani mega scam" to be discussed in Parliame ...Read More >
NDIA bloc leaders, who submitted a notice of no-confidence motion against the Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday, blamed the chair for not allowing them to speak in the Rajya Sabha. The leaders held a joint press conference labelling several charges against the chairman. "His behaviour (RS chairman) has damaged the dignity of the country. He has brought such a situation in the history of parliamentary democracy that we had to bring this notice for the resolution (of no confidence ...Read More >
Campaigning for the November 20 assembly bypolls to four seats in Punjab ended on Monday evening with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Opposition Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party making last-ditch efforts to mobilise support for their respective candidates. Hours before the campaign ended at 6 pm, major political outfits intensified their efforts to woo the voters. Bypolls to four assembly segments -- Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC) and Barnala -- will be held on November 20 from 7 am to 6 pm, and the results will be out on November 23. The bypolls were necessitated afte ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 4 (ANI): Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after being stopped at the Ghazipur border in Ghaziabad on his way to violence-hit Sambhal. The Congress MP stated that visiting Sambhal was his constitutional duty and described the restrictions placed on him as unconstitutional. Also Read | Naresh Balyan in Trouble: Delhi Police Seeks Arrest of AAP MLA in Fresh Case, Moves Court. https://x.com/RahulGandhi/status/1864229268210815066 In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi wrote in Hindi: "The police stopped us from go ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (VOICE) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced that every woman of the capital will get monthly monetary assistance of Rs 1,000/- and this would be raised to Rs 2,100 if the party is voted to power in upcoming Assembly elections. The big announcement, apparently inspired from schemes in other states, comes days ahead of Assembly elections in the capital, slated for February next year. He further said that the scheme, dubbed as 'Mahila Samman Yojana' has been approved by the Delhi cabinet, leading to enhancement of the monthly amount fro ...Read More >
Ahead of the fifth day of the Parliament winter session, Congress MP Manickam Tagore filed an adjournment notice in Lok Sabha on Friday (November 29, 2024) to discuss the Gautam Adani indictment in the lower house. Opposition MPs have repeatedly sought to discuss the Adani indictment in the Lok Sabha since the start of the winter session on November 25. Justifying the public adjournment motion in the letter submitted to the Lok Sabha Secretary General, Mr. Tagore wrote that the issue is of "public importance," and "strikes at the core of public trust in India's governance and regulatory fram ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday suggested that Congress MP Shashi Tharoor should consider sitting on a dharna to push for land acquisition for the Nemom railway terminal project in Thiruvananthapuram. Vaishnaw's comment came in response to Tharoor's concerns about delays and inadequate funding for the project, which aims to ease congestion on the railway line leading to Thiruvananthapuram Central. During the Question Hour, Tharoor, who represents Thiruvananthapuram, expressed frustration over the stalled project, highlighting that only Rs 7 crore had been released o ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 6 (PTI) Two-time MLA from Timarpur constituency Surendra Pal Singh Bittu joined AAP on Friday ahead of Delhi Assembly elections. Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia welcomed Singh into the party and said his experience will help the party in its development work. "Inspired by the good developmental work of the AAP in the field of education, health, etc., Singh is joining our party today, and I am sure that his experience will help the party to continue doing good work," Sisodia said. "There is only one party that truly understands the needs of the common people ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (UNI) Amid massive showdown between the Opposition and ruling party members, the Rajya Sabha on Thursday could barely function and was adjourned for the day after it re-convened post-lunch hour. The Upper House was first adjourned till 2 PM as confrontation between the Opposition and Treasury bench members continued. When the House met again at 2 PM, the protests continued. While Dhankhar was in the Chair, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge protested against the accusations levelled by ruling party members against Sonia Gandhi. Standing to raise a point of o ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day Thursday afternoon amid ruckus as the treasury and opposition benches trades charges over no-trust notice against Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, and the BJP's allegations of the Congress leadership's "connections" with billionaire investor George Soros. The House witnessed two adjournments in the day before that. The first was during the Zero Hour in the pre-lunch sitting when Chairman Dhankhar rejected six notices to adjourn the scheduled business of the day and take up matters mentioned in the notices. As several oppos ...Read More >
Delhi, December 12: The Aam Aadmi Party government has officially approved the Mahila Samman Yojana in a recent cabinet meeting. Arvind Kejriwal, the national convenor of AAP, announced, "Today, I bring two significant announcements for the women of Delhi. I had promised to provide 1,000 rupees to every woman, and this morning, a proposal to implement this was passed in the cabinet meeting led by Atishi. The scheme is now in effect in Delhi. While the elections are expected to be announced in the next 10-15 days, transferring the funds to accounts isn't feasible at the moment. Some women expr ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 2 (UNI) UPSC teacher and motivational speaker Awadh Ojha joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in New Delhi on Monday in the presence of AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Addressing the media, Arvind Kejriwal said, "With Ojha's entry into politics, the country's education sector will be strengthened." "Awadh Ojha has empowered lakhs of youth by providing quality education, enabling them to secure employment and lead better lives. His joining the Aam Aadmi Party will further strengthen the country's education system," he add ...Read More >
New Delhi: Members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a protest on Wednesday, demanding immediate action from the Union government to address the worsening law and order situation in the national Capital. The protest, led by Delhi Minister Gopal Rai and other AAP MLAs, highlighted the surge in crimes under the jurisdiction of the Union Home Ministry, which oversees Delhi's law enforcement through the Lieutenant Governor (LG) and Delhi Police. Speaking at the protest, Gopal Rai expressed grave concerns about the safety of Delhi's citizens, claiming the city is turning into a "crime capital." ...Read More >