Latest news with #AamAadmiParty
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
AAP govt looking to revise land pooling policy: Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh
An Aam Aadmi Party MLA Saturday said that party government in Punjab is preparing to revise its land pooling policy 'to provide relief to farmers and residents'. Kulwant Singh, the Mohali MLA, said, 'The new land pooling policy has caused anxiety among many farmers about the acquisition of their land. The government respects their sentiments and will ensure that no farmer or landowner suffers losses due to the policy'. Addressing locals at an even to mark the 'Yudh Nashyean Virudh' campaign at Phase 11, the MLA said, 'The current policy will be amended and aligned with the previous version to address growing discontent and confusion among landowners. The consent process for development projects, as outlined in the earlier version of the policy, will be reinstated. This means inputs from local panchayats, farmer associations and village communities will once again be prioritised in planning and execution.' The MLA urged residents of rural areas to trust the government and not to fall prey to rumours. 'Our goal is to ensure balanced regional development, while protecting the rights of farmers,' he stated. Originally designed to facilitate planned development in Punjab, the land pooling policy recently drew widespread criticism, with farmers alleging the policy 'ignored their interests and failed to provide fair compensation'. The state government has identified over 40,000 acres in 27 towns and cities, with 30,000 acres identified in Ludhiana, Mohali and Amritsar alone. The land will be acquired after the owners offer their land voluntarily. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had earlier told the media that the land pooling would be 100 per cent voluntary. 'It will help people get houses in legal colonies and help check the mushrooming illegal colonies. My house in Sangrur is in an illegal colony. You check your houses also,' Mann said. Faced with protests over the recently introduced land pooling policy of the Aam Aadmi Party government, former Delhi minister and state party co-in-charge Satyendar Jain had asked AAP MLAs to go among the public and educate landowners about the policy to quell criticism. Jain huddled with MLAs from the Assembly segments where land has been identified for pooling. Meanwhile, BJP leader Tarun Chugh Saturday lashed out at the AAP government over its land pooling policy, calling it a 'ponzi scheme to loot farmers' land'. 'This is not pooling, it is pure looting. The BJP will fight this tooth and nail. The Mann government is only a puppet, the real strings are pulled from Delhi by Arvind Kejriwal,' Chugh alleged. Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema had on Friday called the scheme farmer-friendly, and said it is based on mutual consent. He had asserted that not a single inch of land will be forcibly taken over from any farmer.
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Today in Politics: Govt calls all-party meeting ahead of Monsoon Session of Parliament
Ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, set to run from July 21 to August 21, the government has called for an all-party meeting on Sunday. The all-party meeting comes a day after the Opposition INDIA bloc held a virtual meeting on Saturday to discuss its strategy for the Monsoon Session and the issues it intends to raise to corner the government. Notably, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was absent from the meeting after it declared it was only part of the INDIA bloc for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. After the Saturday meeting, the INDIA bloc said there was a consensus among the allies on eight major issues to be raised in Parliament. While the BJP-led NDA government seems to be keen to make the Monsoon Session heavy with its legislative agenda, the Opposition is set to corner the government over multiple issues, ranging from the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor to US President Donald Trump's claim of brokering the India-Pakistan ceasefire, to the Election Commission (EC)'s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, as reported by Liz Mathew. 'The government has a heavy legislative agenda, but the session will be dominated by the SIR exercise in Bihar, Operation Sindoor and Ahmedabad air crash probe,' admitted a source from the Treasury benches. Parliament is also expected to take up the issue of impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma, from whose Delhi residence stacks of currency notes were allegedly recovered. An inquiry committee will be set up by the presiding officer of the House concerned to probe charges against Justice Varma, whose timeline for submitting its report will be crunched from three months, sources said. The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) is set to hold a protest on Sunday in Villupuram district against the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government over its 'failure' to implement a 10.5% reservation for Vanniyars within the reservation for Most Backward Communities (MBCs). However, the protest comes at a tumultuous time for the party, which is in the midst of a dispute between PMK founder S Ramadoss and his son, party president Anbumani over the leadership of the regional outfit. But recent reports suggest the two are heading towards rapprochement after the alleged discovery of a tapping device at the senior Ramadoss's home, as reported by Arun Janardhanan. According to two senior PMK sources and a confidant close to the family, a complaint filed on behalf of Ramadoss about the discovery of a sophisticated audio-tapping device at his house, and the hint that the son's side may be implicated in it, had prompted a flurry of damage-control efforts by the family. G Viswanathan, who runs the VIT Group of Institutions and is a long-time friend of the family, is reportedly the chief mediator. However, the PMK and Ramadoss family later got apprehensive that the complaint provided a reason to the DMK government to send in state police into Ramadoss's house, as well as go after Anbumani. The PMK is an ally of the BJP-led NDA in the state. This added an urgency to the mediation efforts between the father and son, and as per sources, a breakthrough is near. A PMK leader said what contributed to the thaw was Anbumani's meeting last week with mother Saraswathi at a family wedding in Chennai. Anbumani and his wife Sowmya touched Saraswathi's feet and sought her blessings, as senior party members watched. The two sides reportedly went on to hold talks for nearly two hours, though Ramadoss and Anbumani made sure that they were not present together at the venue. The signs of a truce before the protest on Sunday, which is expected to attract more than 5,000 party cadres, could provide a symbolic boost to the party. – With PTI inputs
NDTV
12 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Harbhajan Singh, Yusuf Pathan Boycott WCL 2025 Match Against Pakistan: Sources
Harbhajan Singh and Yusuf Pathan pulled out of a World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 match against Pakistan on Sunday, according to sources. This match is supposed to be the first clash between any cricket team of the two nations after the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025 that claimed 26 lives. The participation of former India stars, some of whom are members of World Cup winning sides, against a Pakistan team created a furore on social media. While both cricketers have not officially declared that they are not playing, it is being perceived that the Pahalgam attack and what followed in the aftermath had a bearing in their decision. While Harbhajan is a Rajya Sabha member for Aam Aadmi Party, Yusuf is currently a Member of Parliament from the Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency for Trinamool Congress. Reports claimed that Irfan Pathan also opted out of the match, but nothing official has been confirmed. India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series for more than 10 years due to the political tensions between the two teams. Things got worse after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor as the relations between India and Pakistan worsened. In the past, the two teams faced each other in ICC tournaments but as of now, questions remain over whether that will continue to the norm. The WCL 2025 is a tournament featuring retired cricketers and it is being held in England. India Champions Squad: Yuvraj Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Piyush Chawla, Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron, Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun, Siddarth Kaul, Gurkeerat Singh Maan.
NDTV
12 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Delhi To Replace Decades-Old Pipelines To Tackle Water Contamination: Minister
Delhi: In order to tackle the rising complaints about water contamination in residential areas, the Delhi government will replace old water pipelines under a new Water Master Plan, Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma said on Saturday. During a constituency visit, Mr Singh pointed to the crumbling infrastructure and decades-old water pipelines as a key reason residents continue to receive polluted water. "There are a lot of places in Delhi where people face issues of polluted water. It is because water pipelines are 40 to 80 years old," the Water Minister told residents. Mr Singh said the current administration has already begun work under a new Water Master Plan. "New pipelines will be placed, the budget has been passed and further sanctioned, and tenders are passed," he said. Slamming the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for ignoring basic civic needs, Mr Singh said, "The previous government did not lay even a single new pipeline. They neglected one of the most basic needs of the people - clean and safe drinking water." Promising progress within a year, he said, "This government is only five months old, but I want to make you all believe that in one year, Delhi's face will change." While many residents welcomed the minister's visit, they also voiced skepticism about similar promises being made in the past. Responding to the long-standing issues faced by residents such as water quality, leakage, and low pressure, Mr Singh said he has directed the officials to stick to deadlines and ensure transparency in the execution of work. "I have asked officials to make sure that the work is done on time and without any shortcuts," he said. The visit comes amid rising complaints across the capital about discolored, foul-smelling water and frequent supply disruptions. As part of his public outreach, Verma visited areas including D-Block Gole Market, Gurudwara Flats in Rakabganj, and Type-II Flats in Sarojini Nagar.
Mint
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Who is Anmol Gagan Maan? AAP MLA resigns from her party, also quits politics
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Anmol Gagan Maan on Saturday tendered her resignation from the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and later announced her decision to quit politics, too. Maan sent her resignation to the Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, without giving any reasons behind her decision. In a message on X, Maan wrote in Punjabi, 'My heart is heavy, but I have decided to leave politics. My resignation from the post of MLA to the Speaker should be accepted. My best wishes are with the party. I hope the Punjab government will live up to the expectations of the people.' There was no immediate reaction from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Party sources said Maan resigned a few days ago and the party had tried to persuade her to reconsider her decision, news agency PTI reported. According to a PTI report, the 35-year-old singer-turned-politician won her maiden election from the Kharar Assembly constituency in 2022. She had defeated Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA Ranjit Sing Gill from the Kharar seat by a margin of 37,885 votes in the 2022 assembly polls. Hailing from Mansa district, Maan began her political career after the AAP in July 2020. According to her 2022 poll affidavit, Maan has studied till Class 12, the report said. Before taking a plunge into politics, Maan had made her name in the Punjabi music industry. She sang many songs like 'Suit', 'Ghaint Purpose', 'Sherni', 'Zamantan', 'Golden Girl', 'Royal Jatti', 'Red Fulkari' and 'Velly'. She later became AAP youth wing co-president and actively participated in the party's protest programmes and took on the then Congress regime before the assembly polls, the report said. She also sang a campaign song – 'Kejriwal hai' – for the Aam Aadmi Party before the 2022 assembly elections. Before the 2022 assembly polls, Maan had said that if AAP comes to power, the government would give the MSP on each crop 'within five minutes'. The opposition leaders used her video statement to target the AAP after it failed to fulfil the promise. She had accused administrative officers in Mohali of seeking bribes in her name in September 2024. She had levelled allegations against executive officers and tehsildars of Kharar of bringing disrespect to her. According to the PTI report, Maan also faced flak from her political rivals for the poor conditions of roads and the sewerage system at several places in her assembly constituency. She became a minister during the Bhagwant Mann government's first cabinet expansion in July 2022. She was among five MLAs who were given Cabinet berths. She was the second woman to become a cabinet minister in the Mann government. Her responsibilities included important portfolios like tourism and culture affairs, investment promotion, labour and removal of grievances, as report by PTI. However, the Bhagwant Mann government dropped four ministers, including Maan, from the Cabinet in September 2024. When she was a minister in June 2024, Maan tied the knot with advocate Shahbaaz Singh Sohi. They got married at a gurdwara in Mohali's Zirakpur with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and several AAP leaders attended the ceremony.
