AAP without AK: Resurrection Impossible

PM Modi’s AK-49 turned 46 on August 16! For those who have forgotten his campaign speeches after the latest trending I-day speech, the reference is to none other than Arvind Kejriwal, convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). With the party demanding fresh elections in the state of Delhi and having re-launched its door-to-door campaigns, it’s pretty obvious what AK would have wished for on his birthday.

            But given the kind of reactions coming from his party members, fulfillment of his birthday wish seems extremely dicey.

Kejriwal at his first rally at Jantar Mantar after the Lok Sabha polls

            Just to remind, while one of the founder members of the party, Shanti Bhushan questioned his organizational skills, Rajesh Garg MLA from Rohini remarked that merely 25 out of the 27 MLAs were in favour of contesting fresh elections. He further added that they were afraid of speaking against “the high command” of the party.

            More than anything else, it is phrases like this which render substance to the voices alluding that a coterie runs the party and the so-called lack of internal democracy. While the party was quick to put up a united front and back AK and his leadership, the damage has been done. For a party already facing questions like-“Will you run away again?”, this is certainly not a healthy sign. It is more so a wake-up call. To heed or not to heed is certainly again up to the same “high command”.

Politics over Nido’s death?

 While Arunachal boy Nido Tania’s death has sparked protests in Delhi, the two major political parties seem to be giving a political colour to the issue. While Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi joined protesters at Jantar Mantar on Monday, members of ‘Modi-fying India’, an outfit of supporters of Bharatiya Janta Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi distributed placards with Nido’s photographs during Sunday’s protest.

When the students were asked about why the allusion to Modi was being made, they chose to tear away the parts of the placards mentioning the words: ‘Modi-fying India’. “We are gathered here for a very sensitive issue and we don’t want our efforts to reflect any linkage with a political outfit whatsoever”, said a DU student. In his tribute to Nido, Taba Doni, General Secretary, ASUD also urged politicians not to play politics on the issue. “I have been getting calls from student leaders as well as politicians from various political parties. Although, I appreciate everybody’s support but at the same time I request you not to politicize the issue”, said Doni while addressing the protesters on Sunday.

Death of Arunachal boy sparks protests, JCP from North-east comes to police’s rescue

After around 1000 students from the north-east jammed the gate of Lajpat Nagar police station on Saturday, it was Joint Commissioner (Training) Robin Hibu belonging to the north-east who had to come to pacify them.

The protest was launched in wake of the death of Nido Tania, a 19-year old student from Arunachal Pradesh after he was allegedly beaten up by a shopkeeper in A block of the area. Demanding formation of a special investigation team to conduct the probe, students continued their protest for nearly six hours.

 The students agreed to retreat only after they were assured of a speedy investigation by Hibu, who is also the coordinator of North-East Residents’ Cell.  “I come here not as a representative of the police but as one of you. The police have registered a case under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the SC/ST Atrocities Act has also been added. We are awaiting the viscera report and it will be available within a week”, said Hibu while addressing the protestors.

Shouting slogans like “Racism, down down”, the members of Arunachal Students’ Union Delhi (ASUD), North-East Students’ Union (NESU), Naga Students Union (NSU), JNU Student’ Union (JNUSU), etc were demanding that the police commissioner come out and speak to them.

 “We are being mocked at in our own country. This is not the first case of discrimination against our brothers from the north-east. It has become a part of our lives and we are here to demand an end to this step-motherly treatment”, said L Gangte, a student of B.Tech first year in Delhi University.

 A few students also threw bottles and cash notes at the police officials after they noticed a few of them sharing a laugh. The crowd grew violent and thrashed the gate shouting “Delhi Police doob maro”. It was only after one of the senior officials reprimanded his subordinates that the crowd relented.

Leaders of the student organizations also met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the evening. “One of our representative along with other student leaders met the Delhi CM and demanded his attention towards the issue. He has assured his support and promised he will take all necessary steps for the protection of our north-east brothers staying in Delhi”, said Taba Doni, General Secretary, ASUD.

The forgotten windows of Khirki

Every site worth a visit might not necessarily be popular as well. And the Khirki Masjid in Saket area of South Delhi is a perfect example of one such site. Standing in quiet amidst the narrow streets of Khirki Village, the monument built in the 14^th century presents a remarkable fusion of Islamic and Hindu architecture. But the “Masjid of Windows” constructed during the Tughlaq reign seems to be a victim of administrative neglect.

Despite being recognized as a monument of national importance, it reflects a very poor maintenance and preservation. While many places on the roof are on the verge of collapsing, a few of its domes have already collapsed. The last time conservation work was initiated was before the 2010 Commonwealth Games when the site was identified by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) for restoration. A faux-pas by the ASI had then converted it into a “pink monument” unlike the lime-mortar work used in ancient times. It was only when the heritage experts of Delhi expressed concerns over the methods used by the ASI that it suspended the restoration work.

“I don’t remember about any repairs been carried out since I joined here. Not many people know about this place, so you won’t find many visitors here. The government should try to maintain this like the Qutab Minar and other monuments, otherwise this will remain neglected forever”, says Shiv Kumar, the only sweeper at the mosque.

Talking about the absence of a gate at the entrance, he further remarks with a chuckle, “Although the timing for visiting the place is 9 am to 5 pm, it hardly makes a difference. There is no gate for entry and exit and hence one can come and go as per one’s wish.” He also explains how people living in the neighbouring buildings throw garbage inside the premises of the protected monument despite this being an offence.

While the plight of the monument reflects utter negligence, the sight of the nearby Satpula is also unsatisfactory.  The premises of the ancient water harvesting dam built around the same time as the Khirki Masjid by Feroz Shah Tughlaq, are littered with garbage.

Despite the lack of attention among the authorities, the solitude and calmness that the two monuments offer, remain unmatched. The forgotten monuments of Khirki seem windows to the past: glorious and majestic. Come and relish before they are shut!

The u-turn: Binny cancels fast, serves 10-day ultimatum to AAP

Amidst high drama at Jantar Mantar, expelled Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Vinod Kumar Binny took a u-turn by serving a 10-day ultimatum to the AAP-government to fulfill the pre-election promises the party had made to Delhiites. Binny, who had threatened to start an indefinite fast on Monday claimed to kick-off a nation-wide struggle against the government from February 7 in case his demands aren’t met.

Flanked by supporters from India Against Corruption (IAC) and AAP’s splinter group Bharatiya Aam Aadmi Parivaar (BAAP), Binny claimed to have met Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung to apprise him about his plans, who according to him, advised him otherwise. He further said he had also spoken to social activist Anna Hazare about his decision and claimed that Hazare shared Jung’s views.

“Advising me against my decision, Jung told me, ‘I am not saying this as the L-G but as someone who’s elder to you. You are going to sit on an indefinite fast for 10-15 days, what are you going to get?’” said Binny while addressing his supporters.

Binny accused the party of having cheated the voters. He further pressed that he was giving “10 more days to the government” to fulfill all the promises made to the people of Delhi prior to the assembly elections including the Jan Lokpal Bill, women’s security, availability of water, etc.

 He also denied having received any letter regarding his expulsion from the party and demanded a referendum on the issue. “I have not received any letter regarding my expulsion from the party. You claim to consult the people on every issue. It would have been better if you had consulted the people on my expulsion as well”, said Binny as he continued targeting the AAP.

He was also supported by members of the All Guest Teachers Association (AGTA) sitting on a dharna outside the Delhi Secretariat for more than two weeks. “We will stand besides anybody who supports our cause. Binny has promised to support our demand for permanent posts in government schools and hence we are here to support him”, said Aarti Rana, one of the members of the AGTA.

Delhi Secretariat witnesses ‘AAP-style’ protest by Kejriwal’s former colleague

After the controversial Janta Durbar last week, the Delhi Secretariat witnessed yet another action-packed Saturday when around 30 members of the India Against Corruption (IAC) stormed at Gate No:6 of the building and protested against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers.

Led by his one-time colleague and president of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), Akhil Gogoi, the protesters were locked into a heated argument with the police after they dared Kejriwal to come out and accept their memorandum. Despite repeated assurances from the police that the chief minister had left the premises, they continued shouting-“Arvind tum bahar aao” (come out Arvind!) until receiving their memorandum back signed by Kejriwal.

“Arvind was one of us till yesterday but he has cheated us. He had promised to bring the Jan Lokpal Bill within 15 days of coming into power but nothing has been done till now. No action has been taken against former chief minister Sheila Dixit. We demand allegations against her to be made public and her arrest within a week’s time”, said Manoj Jain, one of the IAC members.

The memorandum also demanded the removal of Somnath Bharti from the post of Delhi’s Law Minister on accounts that he had been indicted by a court of law for tampering of evidence and allegations that he had broken the law by revealing the name of the Danish woman who was allegedly gang-raped by eight men last Tuesday. Constitution of a woman commando force, security assurance to north-eastern originals and providing electricity, water, education, health and housing free of cost were other demands.

The protesters also threatened to sit on a fast-until-death from the first week of February if their demands were not met.

“We will begin a fast-until-death in case the government doesn’t heed our demands. It is Arvind who taught us all this and we will follow his teachings if needed”, said one of the protesters.

'Stung' in AAP-style himself, Sisodia booed down by protesters

‘Stung’ in a style propagated by his government, Delhi’s Education and Urban Development Minister Manish Sisodia had to face boos and sloganeering from members of All Guest Teachers’ Association sitting on a dharna outside the Delhi Secretariat for the last four days. After one of the protesters played a recorded sting that he had carried out on Sisodia where he allegedly backtracked from his promise of giving permanent posts to the teachers, a crowd of around 500 people started shouting slogans against him. The boos got louder after the crowd noticed that he had come out at the top of the Secretariat to view the situation. Embarrassed, Sisodia chose to return inside.