Kejriwal urges Delhi women to join protest against Delhi police
In a sign that he has well and truly dug his heels in, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has urged women in Delhi to come and join their protest against the police. Insisting that the agitation would be held for ten days, Kejriwal added that maintaining law and order would be the responsibility of the Delhi police.
This view was echoed by senior leader Yogendra Yadav, who said that although it was unusual for a CM to sit on dharna on such a small demand, it was necessary because of the troubles faced by the people of Delhi. "We are doing the politics of listening to people's voices. People of Delhi don't know who to approach with problems. We are taking up their problems", he said.
2.20 pm: Anyone who has faced injustice by Delhi police, should come protest, says Yadav After justifying AAP's dharna against the police as the fulfillment of the party election manifesto, Yadav went on to urge the people of Delhi to join the protest. "All those who have faced police inefficiency and corruption should come protest with us", he said. Yadav added that the party was totally against racism. "If any of our volunteers/ministers have done any such acts we will take action", he said in relation to charges that state Law Minister Somnath Bharti had made several racist references to two Ugandan women who he had accused of being involved in a sex and drugs racket. "The Uganda High Commission wrote to us with an instance of how women are brought to India and forced into the sex trade. They thanked us", he said. These arguments are more or less along the same lines as what Kejriwal said earlier in the day.
2:15 pm: Protest in keeping with AAP's manifesto, says Yadav Yadav pointed out that the AAP had promised in its manifesto that the Delhi Police would be brought under the state government and not under the central government. He then proceed to read out from the manifesto that spoke about how they had promised to bring the Delhi Police under the government. "The actions of the Chief Minister were merely to ensure that we keep our promise that we listed in the manifesto," Yadav said.
2:00 pm: Yadav questions accountability of the Delhi Police AAP's Yogendra Yadav is now holding a press conference in which he's justifying the protest rally against the Delhi Police. The lack of accountability has become very clear from the actions of the Delhi Police over the last few days," Yogendra Yadav said. He spoke of the woman being burnt by her in-laws, the Danish gangrape case, the Khirkee village raid and said the three cases were proof of the Delhi police's inaction. "They had met the Union Home Minister to take some action to send a message...We said that at least transfer them, but that was also refused," Yadav said. The leader pointed out that in the event of an inquiry it was standard practice to transfer the official to prevent them from influencing the probe. "The question is whether the Delhi police is accountable to the people of Delhi or not?" Yadav said.
1:50 pm: Digvijaya Singh says laws aren't made on streets Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has criticised Kejriwal for his protest and said that he should remember that laws aren't made in the street but in Parliament and Assemblies. "If the Delhi Chief Minister wants to be allowed the right to protest in the streets then the Delhi Police should also be allowed to do its job," Singh said.
1:45 pm: Sisodia says that everyone in Delhi who has a problem with city police should join Minister Manish Sisodia is now on the stage and is urging people to join the protest that he says will continue until their demands are met. "Kejriwal's health is terrible and any other government employee would have taken four days off. But here he is protesting," Sisodia said. If family in Delhi that believes their mothers and sisters are not safe should join the protest, he said. The minister said that Delhi would only feel safe when they felt that police officials were there to protect them and not to serve VIPs. "This year it won't be the Republic Day for VIPs but an independence day for the Aam Aadmi," Sisodia said. 1:20 pm: Take it to Jantar Mantar, Delhi cops tell Kejriwal The Delhi Police has reportedly told the Chief Minister that he can continue his protest rally but has to take it to Jantar Mantar and not in the garden outside Rail Bhawan. Whether the Chief Minister will agree remains to be seen.
12:50 pm: Congress says won't withdraw support yet, BJP slams AAP The Congress has reportedly said that despite the Delhi Chief Minister going up against its Home Minister, it won't be withdrawing support to the AAP government for now. However, Congress activists did protest outside the Delhi Police commissionerate's office demanding that Kejriwal be arrested. Meanwhile the BJP has hit out at the AAP but not over Kejriwal's comments but over inconveniencing travellers. "They indulged in politics in the name of Aam Aadmi,its Aam Aadmi who has faced trouble most today due metros shutting down," Harsh Vardhan said.
12:40 pm: Shinde says Delhi Police will remain under Ministry for Home Affairs If you heard Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde you wouldn't know there's a dharna taking place near his office. The minister calmly explains that the Lieutenant Governor and he have ordered an inquiry into the Delhi Police officials against whom questions have been raised. "Action will be taken on the basis of the findings of the inquiry being conducted," Shinde said. He also said there was no question of giving charge of the Delhi Police to the Delhi state government since the national capital was modelled on the lines of the police force in Washington DC. The Delhi Police will remain under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
12:35 pm: Will hold dharna for next ten days, says Kejriwal The Delhi Chief Minister has said that they will continue to peacefully demonstrate against the Delhi Police for the next ten days. "If there is any incident here, if there is a constitutional crisis the Centre is to blame. Sushilkumar Shindesaab will be responsible," Kejriwal said. Having declared the intent to protest for the next ten days the Delhi Chief Minister has laid down the mic and is now sitting on dharna.
12.24 pm: We are holding dharna for people, not for us, says Kejriwal Calling on the people of Delhi to join him in their protest, Kejriwal said that his answer to politicians and media people who were asking him why the Chief Minister was holding a dharna, was that he was not holding it for himself, but for the people of Delhi. "If police don't help people what are they supposed to do? When they don't listen even to ministers. Delhi Police takes money from autorickshaw drivers. It has taken money to not take action on lawlessness. We are here for the security of women. We want all the people of Delhi to come here to protest against Delhi police", he said.
He also appealed to the 'honest' Delhi police officers to take leave and come and join the dharna. "If the police commissioner has a problem with this, you tell me and I will do something", he said. He also alleged that the money illegally collected by the Delhi police went to the police commissioner and even to Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde. He pointed out that former Home Secretary RK Singh had recently said that SHOs were bribing the minister and the lack of desire to transfer the police officials only indicated it may be true. This speech is getting more and more inflammatory by the minute. If things go south, we could well see a clash between the AAP supporters who are cheering his every word and and the Delhi police who have a very heavy presence at the site.
Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/politics/live-kejriwal-urges-delhi-women-to-join-protest-against-cops-1348359.html?utm_source=ref_article
This view was echoed by senior leader Yogendra Yadav, who said that although it was unusual for a CM to sit on dharna on such a small demand, it was necessary because of the troubles faced by the people of Delhi. "We are doing the politics of listening to people's voices. People of Delhi don't know who to approach with problems. We are taking up their problems", he said.
2.20 pm: Anyone who has faced injustice by Delhi police, should come protest, says Yadav After justifying AAP's dharna against the police as the fulfillment of the party election manifesto, Yadav went on to urge the people of Delhi to join the protest. "All those who have faced police inefficiency and corruption should come protest with us", he said. Yadav added that the party was totally against racism. "If any of our volunteers/ministers have done any such acts we will take action", he said in relation to charges that state Law Minister Somnath Bharti had made several racist references to two Ugandan women who he had accused of being involved in a sex and drugs racket. "The Uganda High Commission wrote to us with an instance of how women are brought to India and forced into the sex trade. They thanked us", he said. These arguments are more or less along the same lines as what Kejriwal said earlier in the day.
2:15 pm: Protest in keeping with AAP's manifesto, says Yadav Yadav pointed out that the AAP had promised in its manifesto that the Delhi Police would be brought under the state government and not under the central government. He then proceed to read out from the manifesto that spoke about how they had promised to bring the Delhi Police under the government. "The actions of the Chief Minister were merely to ensure that we keep our promise that we listed in the manifesto," Yadav said.
2:00 pm: Yadav questions accountability of the Delhi Police AAP's Yogendra Yadav is now holding a press conference in which he's justifying the protest rally against the Delhi Police. The lack of accountability has become very clear from the actions of the Delhi Police over the last few days," Yogendra Yadav said. He spoke of the woman being burnt by her in-laws, the Danish gangrape case, the Khirkee village raid and said the three cases were proof of the Delhi police's inaction. "They had met the Union Home Minister to take some action to send a message...We said that at least transfer them, but that was also refused," Yadav said. The leader pointed out that in the event of an inquiry it was standard practice to transfer the official to prevent them from influencing the probe. "The question is whether the Delhi police is accountable to the people of Delhi or not?" Yadav said.
1:50 pm: Digvijaya Singh says laws aren't made on streets Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has criticised Kejriwal for his protest and said that he should remember that laws aren't made in the street but in Parliament and Assemblies. "If the Delhi Chief Minister wants to be allowed the right to protest in the streets then the Delhi Police should also be allowed to do its job," Singh said.
1:45 pm: Sisodia says that everyone in Delhi who has a problem with city police should join Minister Manish Sisodia is now on the stage and is urging people to join the protest that he says will continue until their demands are met. "Kejriwal's health is terrible and any other government employee would have taken four days off. But here he is protesting," Sisodia said. If family in Delhi that believes their mothers and sisters are not safe should join the protest, he said. The minister said that Delhi would only feel safe when they felt that police officials were there to protect them and not to serve VIPs. "This year it won't be the Republic Day for VIPs but an independence day for the Aam Aadmi," Sisodia said. 1:20 pm: Take it to Jantar Mantar, Delhi cops tell Kejriwal The Delhi Police has reportedly told the Chief Minister that he can continue his protest rally but has to take it to Jantar Mantar and not in the garden outside Rail Bhawan. Whether the Chief Minister will agree remains to be seen.
12:50 pm: Congress says won't withdraw support yet, BJP slams AAP The Congress has reportedly said that despite the Delhi Chief Minister going up against its Home Minister, it won't be withdrawing support to the AAP government for now. However, Congress activists did protest outside the Delhi Police commissionerate's office demanding that Kejriwal be arrested. Meanwhile the BJP has hit out at the AAP but not over Kejriwal's comments but over inconveniencing travellers. "They indulged in politics in the name of Aam Aadmi,its Aam Aadmi who has faced trouble most today due metros shutting down," Harsh Vardhan said.
12:40 pm: Shinde says Delhi Police will remain under Ministry for Home Affairs If you heard Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde you wouldn't know there's a dharna taking place near his office. The minister calmly explains that the Lieutenant Governor and he have ordered an inquiry into the Delhi Police officials against whom questions have been raised. "Action will be taken on the basis of the findings of the inquiry being conducted," Shinde said. He also said there was no question of giving charge of the Delhi Police to the Delhi state government since the national capital was modelled on the lines of the police force in Washington DC. The Delhi Police will remain under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
12:35 pm: Will hold dharna for next ten days, says Kejriwal The Delhi Chief Minister has said that they will continue to peacefully demonstrate against the Delhi Police for the next ten days. "If there is any incident here, if there is a constitutional crisis the Centre is to blame. Sushilkumar Shindesaab will be responsible," Kejriwal said. Having declared the intent to protest for the next ten days the Delhi Chief Minister has laid down the mic and is now sitting on dharna.
12.24 pm: We are holding dharna for people, not for us, says Kejriwal Calling on the people of Delhi to join him in their protest, Kejriwal said that his answer to politicians and media people who were asking him why the Chief Minister was holding a dharna, was that he was not holding it for himself, but for the people of Delhi. "If police don't help people what are they supposed to do? When they don't listen even to ministers. Delhi Police takes money from autorickshaw drivers. It has taken money to not take action on lawlessness. We are here for the security of women. We want all the people of Delhi to come here to protest against Delhi police", he said.
He also appealed to the 'honest' Delhi police officers to take leave and come and join the dharna. "If the police commissioner has a problem with this, you tell me and I will do something", he said. He also alleged that the money illegally collected by the Delhi police went to the police commissioner and even to Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde. He pointed out that former Home Secretary RK Singh had recently said that SHOs were bribing the minister and the lack of desire to transfer the police officials only indicated it may be true. This speech is getting more and more inflammatory by the minute. If things go south, we could well see a clash between the AAP supporters who are cheering his every word and and the Delhi police who have a very heavy presence at the site.
Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/politics/live-kejriwal-urges-delhi-women-to-join-protest-against-cops-1348359.html?utm_source=ref_article
