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8 years of my career will be destroyed, people of Wayanad will suffer without me: Rahul Gandhi’s plea in Supreme Court against his disqualification

OpIndia Staff
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8 years of my career will be destroyed, people of Wayanad will suffer without me: Rahul Gandhi’s plea in Supreme Court against his disqualification

On Saturday, July 15th, 2023, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi approached the Supreme Court after his plea for relief in a defamation case was denied by the Gujarat High Court. Challenging the High Court’s order from July 7th, Gandhi argued that if the decision is not overturned, it will severely impede free speech, expression, and thought.

Rahul Gandhi’s petition, filed in the Supreme Court, came in response to the dismissal of his request for a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case related to the Modi surname. Expressing concern over the potential consequences, Rahul Gandhi asserted that if relief is not granted, his career spanning eight years will be irreparably damaged.

In his plea, Rahul Gandhi contended that allowing the High Court’s decision to stand will gradually erode democratic institutions, leading to the stifling of democracy and negatively impacting the future of India’s political landscape. The Congress leader vehemently refuted the complainant’s claim that his speech defamed individuals bearing the Modi surname.

Highlighting his role as a representative of the Wayanad constituency in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi emphasised that penalising him for what he termed minor defamation charges deprives the constituents of their voice in Parliament and their ability to participate in democratic governance. He also said that failing to stay the conviction and sentence would cause significant harm to the people of Wayanad, leaving them without representation for an extended period.

On 23rd March 2023, the Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Surat convicted Rahul Gandhi and sentenced him to two years in jail for his remarks made during an election rally in Karnataka back in 2019. It was during this rally that Gandhi questioned why individuals with the surname Modi are thieves. Following his conviction, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from membership in Parliament. He had been elected to the Lok Sabha from the Wayanad constituency in Kerala during the 2019 general elections. As per Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, a person convicted of an offence and sentenced to two years in jail is rendered ineligible for the term of their punishment and an additional six years, barring him from contesting elections.

Despite the setback in the Gujarat High Court, Rahul Gandhi now pins his hopes on the Supreme Court to overturn the decision and protect his political career while he paints it as if he is ensuring the welfare and representation of the people of Wayanad.

Uniform Civil Code: After a closed-door meeting, Congress rejects the idea of uniformity of all laws, to prepare an internal report on the matter

OpIndia Staff
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Uniform Civil Code: After a closed-door meeting, Congress rejects the idea of uniformity of all laws, to prepare an internal report on the matter

The Congress party on Sunday, July 16, held a closed-door meeting to discuss its approach to the issue of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). The party has reportedly rejected the idea of uniformity of all laws and decided to prepare an internal report on the matter. The party has decided to formally react to the issue only after a draft is presented by the government.

In the meeting chaired by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, the party reportedly supported aspects of UCC like gender parity.

A Congress leader reportedly said, “We are clear that there can be nothing uniform about all laws. How can the country have the same civil laws for North East, South India, Muslims, and Hindus? However, some angularity of individual laws can be looked at.”

The party also reportedly pointed out that reforms in personal laws can be made by amending individual laws instead of uniformity across personal laws.

Another report quoted a ‘senior Congress leader’ as saying, “We will support aspects like equality of inheritance. But we will oppose the imposition of uniformity.”

The party also spoke about the parliamentary standing committee’s discussion on the matter. Committee chairman Sushil Kumar Modi reportedly proposed to keep tribal communities and the Northeast out of the ambit of UCC. The Congress has formed an eight-member panel to prepare an internal report for the party leadership on Uniform Civil Code.

So far, Congress has decided to not react officially on the subject until the government draft is out. Last month, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) claimed that the Congress in a meeting with the board assured to take cognisance of their concerns when the issue will be debated in the Parliament.

The debate around UCC is heating up ever since PM Modi made a statement on the same last month during his address on 27th June in Bhopal. Saying that political parties are trying to mislead Muslims, PM Modi strongly batted for equal rights and Uniform Civil Code enshrined in the Constitution. He dropped a major hint that UCC may be on the cards in the upcoming Parliament session.

Batting in favour of UCC, the PM said, “Today people are being instigated in the name of UCC. How can the country run on two laws? The Constitution also talks of equal rights. Supreme Court has also asked to implement UCC. These (Opposition) people are playing vote bank politics.”

UP Waqf Board defers construction of hospital on the alternate mosque site given as per Ayodhya verdict, says it has no fund

OpIndia Staff
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UP Waqf Board defers construction of hospital on the alternate mosque site given as per Ayodhya verdict, says it has no fund

On the 16th of July, the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) announced that it has deferred the construction of a hospital at the alternate site in Ayodhya allotted in place of the Ram Janambhumi site. The decision has been due to a lack of funds. The trust is responsible for overseeing the construction of a mosque the alternate site given as per the Supreme Court’s 2019 verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi case, and it had decided to other facilities including a hospital at the site.

IICF secretary and spokesperson of the trust, Athar Hussain stated that because there are already many mosques in the area, the trust wanted to first build a charitable hospital and community kitchen. However, the lack of funds has forced the trust to focus on the construction of a mosque. 

Hussain said, “We have put on hold the project for the hospital because of lack of funds. The hospital project was to cost around Rs 300 crore and we have put that on hold for now. We will go ahead with the construction of the mosque as soon as it can be done so that at least some work can start at the site. But as far as the hospital is concerned, we have put it on hold because we couldn’t garner funds.”

According to him, the trust will submit a revised plan without the hospital in it. It will only include the mosque in the drawings so that the development fee is reduced. Earlier, the development fee for the whole project, including the hospital, was running into crores. So, the trust has decided to put on hold the hospital project for now. However, they still hope that they can collect more funds in the future and then build a hospital over there.

Earlier, in May 2021, the IICF submitted the drawings of the maps with the proposed mosque and other projects in it to the Ayodhya Development Authority. 

As planned earlier, the trust was supposed to build community facilities like a hospital, library, community kitchen, and an Indo-Islamic cultural research centre along with a mosque at the 5-acre plot. The trust had released renderings of the proposed construction, which showed futuristic buildings next to a smaller traditional mosque.

Rendering released earlier for the proposed construction

The alternate site was given to the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board as per the SC verdict. It is in Dhannipur village under the Sohawal tehsil, which is around 25 km away from the Ram Mandir site.

In July 2020, the Waqf Board formed the IICF trust to oversee the construction of the mosque and other structures.

In its historic judgement on the 9th of November, 2019, the Supreme Court awarded the Ram Janmabhoomi to the Hindu side for the proposed Ram Mandir. Using its special powers, the apex court granted five acres of land on an alternate site for the Muslim side for the construction of a mosque.

While the construction of Ram Mandir is in its final stage, the construction of the mosque in Dhannipur is yet to start. The grand Ram Mandir is scheduled to be opened in January 2024.

The chief trustee of the foundation and also the chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, Zufar Farooqui told The Indian Express about this new development.  

He said, “We will focus on the mosque project for now, while putting on hold the construction of the hospital. We will soon hold a meeting of the IICF to discuss the strategy for the collection of funds and donations.” 

He argued that it is unfair to compare the two projects as the preparations for Ram Mandir had been going on for a long time and there was no rush for the mosques. 

He added, “It is unfair to compare the project of the mosque with the temple. Preparations for the temple have been going on since 1983-84. We got to know about the construction of the mosque only in 2019. The project will take a lot of time, and we can’t give a timeline for it. It may take 10-20 years. We are in no rush because there is no pressure from the community too for the construction. We are trying our best.” 

Delhi floods: Mayur Vihar relief camp residents protest against AAP minister Saurabh Bhardwaj over poor facilities as he comes for a tour

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi floods: Mayur Vihar relief camp residents protest against AAP minister Saurabh Bhardwaj over poor facilities as he comes for a tour

On 16th July 2023, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj faced a heated backlash during his visit to the Mayur Vihar flood relief camp. Angry and frustrated individuals raised slogans and staged a protest against Bhardwaj, highlighting the widespread issues prevailing within the camp. Concerns of the residents ranged from insufficient food, water, and sanitation facilities, creating a volatile atmosphere.

Amidst the chaotic scene, a scuffle broke out between the residents of the camp and workers from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Demonstrators expressed their grievances directly in front of Bhardwaj, accusing him of various wrongdoings and even labelling him a thief. The camp, accommodating displaced residents from the flood-hit Yamuna Khadar area, has been plagued by inadequate arrangements, exacerbating the frustration of those seeking relief.

Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj denounced the protest as a BJP-sponsored event, asserting that the party was orchestrating the unrest using women activists. In response, Bhardwaj highlighted that individuals were being obstructed from accessing relief camps established by the Delhi government. He further alleged that the BJP was preventing Delhi ministers and MLAs from visiting the camps to divert attention away from the absence of BJP MPs in Parliament, which is currently not in session.

Amidst the slogans and protests, the minister’s interaction with the affected people at the relief camp was limited, prompting him to conclude his visit prematurely.

The situation at the Mayur Vihar flood relief camp remains highly critical, as discontent and frustrations among the affected population continue to grow.

Meanwhile, Delhi continues to grapple with severe flooding caused by the swollen Yamuna River. While the water levels of the Yamuna have started to recede, challenges persist as heavy rainfall poses a threat, and the city faces waterlogged regions, infrastructure issues, and health risks. The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has taken prompt action, assessing the situation upon his return from a visit to France and the UAE.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been actively involved in rescue and relief operations, rescuing thousands of individuals. However, amidst the crisis, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Delhi government has engaged in a blame game with the Lieutenant Governor (LG) and the BJP, blaming them for the floods, raising concerns about effective coordination in mitigating the effects of the floods.

Madhya Pradesh: 8-year-old Jain boy converted to Islam and circumcised in Indore by his mother and her Muslim lover, fake documents made

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: 8-year-old Jain boy converted to Islam and circumcised in Indore by his mother and her Muslim lover, fake documents made

An 8-year-old Jain boy was forcibly converted and circumcised in Indore, Madhya Pradesh and his name was also changed to create a phoney birth certificate by his mother and her lover named Ilyas Qureshi. The woman had already abandoned her husband’s home to stay with Ilyas. The boy was also forced to leave with her. After circumcising the boy, they created fake documents with a Muslim name and showing Qureshi as his real father.

The incident happened near the Khajrana police station. The police have now filed a case against the accused man in serious offences which involved forced conversion and cheating after receiving a complaint from the father of the minor. In the complaint filed on 15 July, he stated that his son is a Jain and charged that the minor boy is being inculcated with a jihadi mentality.

Dinesh Verma, an inspector at the Kharjana police station informed that the culprit was arrested late in the evening of 15 July. He has been interrogated by the police on how and where he obtained the fraudulent documents and is scheduled to appear in court.

Mother and son went missing from the train while returning home

The father Mahesh Kumar Nahata is a resident of Barmer in Rajasthan and he is a grain merchant. He married a girl from Shajapur in June 2014 and their son was born in the next year. Everything was running smoothly until he visited Shajapur on 25 February 2018, along with his wife and son, to attend an engagement.

He boarded a train to travel to his hometown of Siwana after the function, but his wife and son went missing from there. Disappearances of the mother and the son was reported to the Ratlam police station.

Investigation revealed that the wife had gone to Ilyas Qureshi from Indore. Police apprehended him from Ratlam and the court sent him to jail. However, after his release from prison, he contacted the woman again and called her to him.

Son was forcibly taken by his mother and the father’s name was changed

The complainant said that he requested her to keep the son with him, but his wife refused and left. He continued to look for them, but nothing was known for a long time. He said, “I submitted an application to the Shajapur court regarding the custody of my young boy. The warrant could not be served since the cops were unable to locate their place of residence. I kept on looking for him in Indore, Shajapur, Ratlam and Barmer.”

In the meantime, it was discovered that his wife was staying in the Raza Colony of Khajrana with Ilyas Qureshi. Both her wife and his son were converted to Islam. He further added, “Ilyas Qureshi had my son circumcised. He also got the father’s name and birth certificate changed by claiming himself to be the father of the 8-year-old. He forcefully enrolled the minor in a religious institution.” Afterwards, he complained to the police regarding the shocking developments.

Ilyas Qureshi’s involvement in a conversion ring

He disclosed that both his wife and the offender are natives of Shajapur and already knew each other. He alleged, “A whole racket of religious conversion is collaborating with Ilyas Qureshi. There’s a case registered against his father in Shajapur as well. His family had a tailoring business. Later, he came to Indore and started living here.”

He demanded that the cleric who helped the perpetrator to create bogus paperwork and converted his son should also be made an accused in the case. “But the police have taken action only on Ilyas Qureshi,” he expressed his disappointment.

On the complaint of Mahesh, the police arrested the accused Ilyas Qureshi. The police have registered a case against Ilyas under sections 420, 467, 468,471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and under Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act 3 and 4. 

South Korea: Nine bodies recovered from flooded tunnel as death toll reaches 35

OpIndia Staff
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South Korea: Nine bodies recovered from flooded tunnel as death toll reaches 35

Nine dead bodies were found by rescuers while trying to reach automobiles, trapped in a flooded tunnel close to the South Korean city of Cheongju. Passengers and drivers were stranded in their vehicles as flood water from heavy rains flowed into the subway.

Overall fatalities from flooding, landslides and power outages, which affected a large portion of the country, now stand at 35. Furthermore, more than ten individuals are reported as missing.

Although the exact number of people still trapped inside the 685-meter-long tunnel in Osong, South Korea is unknown, 15 vehicles are believed to be buried underwater. The bodies of several of the deceased were found inside a bus. Meanwhile, nine survivors were saved yesterday ().

The majority of the other casualties have occurred in the mountainous North Gyeongsang area where entire homes have been destroyed by landslides. South Korea reportedly received around 300mm (11.8in) of rain on 15 July.

According to the Korean Meteorological Association, the nation normally receives 1,000mm (39.4in) to 1,800mm (70.9in) of rainfall a year, but a large portion of that arrives during the summer. Only the tops of roofs can be seen protruding out of deep brown mud in aerial photographs taken in flood-affected areas.

Numerous local governments have issued evacuation orders that have impacted thousands of people. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has urged the military to assist with the rescue operations. The Goesan Dam, also in North Chungcheong, started to overflow early on Saturday morning local time, forcing 6,400 residents to flee, per the agency.

Several low-lying hamlets close to the dam were drowned, along with many of the roads that connected them, trapping people inside their residences. A train derailed in North Chungcheong late on 14 July as a result of a landslide. It was not hauling passengers at the time, but one of the engineers received injuries.

All slow trains and some bullet trains have been suspended while other bullet services are expected to experience disruptions, as stated by Korail, South Korea’s national rail operator. The Korea Meteorological Administration anticipated further precipitation through the following Wednesday. It forewarned that the weather poses a “grave” peril.

Over the past two weeks, excessive rain has triggered floods and landslides in a number of nations, including India, China and Japan. Flooding is caused by a variety of variables, but experts agree that the likelihood of heavy rainfall is increased by a warming environment brought on by climate change.

More droplets and greater precipitation, sometimes in a shorter period of time and over a smaller region, result from the atmosphere’s ability to hold more moisture as the climate warms.

Met our leader, he heard us: Rebel leader Praful Patel says after meeting NCP supremo Sharad Pawar; Ajit Pawar and Chhagan Bhujbal also present

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Met our leader, he heard us: Rebel leader Praful Patel says after meeting NCP supremo Sharad Pawar; Ajit Pawar and Chhagan Bhujbal also present

Ajit Pawar, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, along with all Nationalist Congress Party ministers paid an unexpected visit to the party president Sharad Pawar on Sunday, July 16, a day before the start of the monsoon session of the Maharashtra Assembly. Ajit had recently rebelled against his uncle and the patriarch of the party to join the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party government in Maharashtra.

Ajit Pawar was joined by party veterans like Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mashrif and Aditi Tatkare at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre to meet the senior Pawar.

Following the meeting, senior party leader Praful Patel remarked, “We have all arrived at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre to meet with our revered leader Sharad Pawar. We learned that he was present here while we were at Ajit Pawar’s residence. All of our ministers and leaders, including the respected Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse Patil and Dhananjay Munde among others are in attendance at this time.”

Patel further added, “We came here without letting him know. We greeted him and asked for his blessings. We requested that our party should stay united and work together in the future. We urged him to think about the same. He listened to us but didn’t respond to our submission.”

Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, as well as other rebel NCP leaders, however, didn’t talk to the media.

NCP-Sharad Pawar faction leader Jayant Patil also reached the centre and stated, “I got a call from Supriya Sule who asked me to reach YB Chavan centre soon. I do not know why Ajit Pawar and other MLAs have come here.”

In a startling political move, Ajit Pawar and eight other prominent leaders including Praful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government on July 2 which resulted in a major split in the NCP. Ajit Pawar was appointed deputy chief minister while the others were sworn in as ministers in a ceremony conducted at the Raj Bhavan.

Bengaluru: Shahid Uddin brings his ‘girlfriend’ from Assam promising marriage, invites 4 friends to assault and rape her

OpIndia Staff
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Bengaluru: Shahid Uddin brings his ‘girlfriend’ from Assam promising marriage, invites 4 friends to assault and rape her

In a disturbing incident, a man brought his ‘girlfriend’ from Assam to Bengaluru, and then he along with his four friends gang-raped her. According to a report by the New Indian Express, The 20-year-old woman filed a complaint on 13th July 2023 with the Parappana Agrahara police in Bengaluru, accusing her lover, Shahid Uddin, and four others of raping her. The police have arrested Shahid Uddin, while they work to gather more information about the remaining four accused.

According to the victim’s statement, she had met Shahid Uddin when he visited a park in Assam. They started to talk regularly after exchanging contact numbers, and it developed into a relationship as she fell in love with him.

Following this, she move to Bengaluru after her lover Shahid Uddin promised to marry her. However, upon her arrival, she was locked up in a house at Doddanagamangala. Shahid Uddin then assaulted her there and then called other four men also to rape her. The incident of rape is said to have occurred on June 1.

Shahid Uddin also took nude photos of the girl and made videos of the act on his phone.

An officer, quoting the victim’s statements, shared, “The accused is also alleged to have made a video of the act on his phone. He is also accused of taking her nude pictures. The victim claims she found out that the accused was in a relationship with another woman. When she confronted him, he reportedly physically assaulted her with a belt. Subsequently, he confined her inside a house and sent four unidentified men who also reportedly raped her.”

After managing to escape from the house, the victim sought help from a couple who accompanied her to the police station to file a complaint. The police have registered a case of gang rape, human trafficking, and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The arrest of Shahid Uddin is a significant development in the investigation, while the police continue their efforts to identify and apprehend the remaining accused individuals. According to the latest updates, the Parappana Agrahara police are actively pursuing the investigation into the case. They are diligently working to gather additional evidence, identify the remaining four accused individuals, and ensure a comprehensive probe into the alleged rape incident.

Pakistan: A day after radical Islamist party Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan issued a threat to police to demolish an Ahmadi mosque, cops comply and demolish it

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: A day after radical Islamist party Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan issued a threat to police to demolish an Ahmadi mosque, cops comply and demolish it

Two days after 600 Ahmadis in Pakistan were booked by the police, the minarets of their mosque were demolished by the police on 14th July. This comes after the radical Islamist party, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) warned the police that it would attack the Ahmadi mosque at Kala Gujran in Jhelum, Punjab, if they failed to demolish the same.

A government official from Pakistan’s Punjab reportedly said that the leaders of the Ahmadi community were summoned by the police and were told that the law does not allow them to build a place of worship. The police raided the Ahmadi mosque and demolished it on the night of 14th July. The Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan reportedly told PTI that a campaign against the community has been launched by TLP.

Ahmadi leader Amir Mahmood said that TLP leader Asim Ashfaq Rizvi has repeatedly threatened to attack Ahmadi mosques in Jhelum if the police fail to destroy them by Muharram at the end of July. “Instead of protecting the Ahmadis, the police brought down the minarets of the Ahmadis’ place of worship to please the hate-mongers and extremist elements. This situation is unfortunate and a clear violation of the rights of the Ahmadi community,” Mahmood said.

On 13th July, the Pakistani police booked more than 600 people of the Ahmadi community for blasphemy and stopped them from practising their faith. “The members of the Ahmadi community cannot even practice their faith within the four walls of their houses in Pakistan. This is also a gross violation of the Supreme Court’s ruling,” the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan said in a statement.

Several cases were filed against the community on flimsy charges including that of blasphemy. An FIR was lodged against the Ahmadi community on 11th July on grounds of blasphemy for building a mosque in Sindh. Last month, DSP Hafizabad issued a legal notice to all the police stations to ensure that no Ahmadiyya Muslim performs the ritual sacrifice known as Qurbani during the Eid-al-Adha celebrations.

Earlier this year, on 2nd February, an Ahmadi mosque in Pakistan’s Karachi was vandalised right in front of the police which was a mute spectator. On 16th April this year, an Ahmadi mosque in Punjab’s Ghooghiat village was destroyed by a mob. The purported video of the incident has been shared on YouTube.

However, instead of raising the issue of their very own community, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (AMC) body is instead engaged in fighting for the Palestinian cause.

Notably, Pakistan, for which Ahmadiyya Muslims voted in uniformity in the 1940s, does not recognize Ahmadiyyas as Muslims and bars them from such identification. In the 1970s, Ahmadiyyas in Pakistan were declared non-Muslims and the provisions in the Pakistani Constitution do not allow them to identify as or do anything which allows them to identify as Muslims.

“Won’t support the Delhi ordinance”, Congress caves in front of AAP’s demand before the opposition meeting

OpIndia Staff
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“Won’t support the Delhi ordinance”, Congress caves in front of AAP’s demand before the opposition meeting

After a long deadlock, Congress finally surrendered before the demands of the Aam Aadmi Party regarding the Union government’s ordinance on Delhi. On the 16th of July, Congress announced that it would back the Kejriwal-led party on this issue as the opposition parties get set to meet again.

Speaking to PTI, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said that he is hopeful that the Aam Aadmi Party will join the opposition meeting to be held in Bengaluru tomorrow. He also cleared the Congress party’s stand on AAP’s precondition to join the opposition meeting. The Congress leader announced the party’s support for the Kejriwal-led political outfit on the issue of the Delhi ordinance. 


He said, “I think they (AAP) are going to join the meeting tomorrow. As for the ordinance (on control of services in Delhi), our stand is very clear. We are not going to support it.”

Responding to this AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha hailed this as a “positive development”. 

AAP had announced a meeting of its Political Affairs Committee (PAC) to decide its future course of action at 4 pm on 16 July. Apparently, after the Congress party’s open admission of support, the AAP’s PAC may decide to join the opposition meeting in Bengaluru. 

AAP’s pressure tactics and Congress’ biding time

Earlier, AAP had threatened to boycott the opposition meeting citing the non-committal and vague stance of the Congress party on the Ordinance issue. Back then, AAP leaders had put preconditions before the Congress party to accept its invitation to join the second opposition meeting. 

On the 7th of July, AAP leader Raghav Chadha hinted that they have paused any discussions to join the opposition meeting until the grand old party announces that it will not support the Union government’s ordinance on Delhi. 

While the Congress party was biding its time, AAP senior leaders, including Delhi CM Kejriwal and Punjab CM Mann had been exerting pressure on the Congress party. In their Chattisgarh rally, both of them accused Congress’ state government of indulging in rampant corruption. Apart from threats to boycott the opposition meeting, AAP surprisingly announced its ‘in-principle’ support for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), an issue that has been testing the strength of opposition unity.

On their part, regional Congress leaders had been targeting the AAP government for adopting the ‘My way, highway’ kind of approach. Congress leader Abhishek Dutt accused AAP of using pressure tactics and advised AAP leaders to behave maturely.

However, this decision of Congress may not have a smooth sail and it may find resistance from its Delhi outfit which had advised the Central unit to not support Arvind Kejriwal on this issue.   

Notably, the main issue in contention is an ordinance which the Union government passed on the 19th of May, 2023. The ordinance aimed to enact rules for the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) in relation to matters such as transfer posting, vigilance, and other related issues. AAP has been garnering support to block it in the Rajya Sabha, if and when the Union government tables it in the Parliament. 

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