Tag: kerjiwal

COVID-19 Vaccine Expansion Will Not Begin on May 1 in These States

At least 15 states and one union territory have confirmed that people between the ages of 18 and 44 will have to wait before they can take the shot.

New Delhi: A day before the scheduled expansion of India’s COVID-19 vaccine programme, 15 state governments and one union territory have now made it explicitly clear that they do not have the stocks to inoculate adults below the age of 45 at the moment.

As The Wire Science had reported on April 28, some states had revealed that people between the ages 18 and 44 would have to wait until the third week of May to get shots of vaccine candidates. These states had said that though they had placed orders with local manufactures Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech, the companies had informed them that there would be a delay in delivering the doses.

Health ministers and chief ministers of various state governments have now made it clear that the expansion will not be flagged off on May 1. While some, like Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, said that they expect to begin inoculating all adults from May 3, his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy hinted that the expansion will only happen in September.

Authorities in these states have also asked people not to queue up near vaccination centres until the government announces the expansion officials.

Though there is an evident supply-side shortage, several crore people have already got registered on the Co-WIN portal already. The Centre revealed late on Thursday that more than 2.45 crore registrations were recorded on the digital platform ahead of the expansion.

The ministry also said that the cumulative number of COVID-19 doses administered in the country has crossed 15.22 crore since the drive was kicked off on January 16. This represents just 9% of India’s 1.4 billion population.

The shortage in oxygen comes at a time when cases in the country have risen at an exponential rate. India has added about 7.7 million cases since the end of February, according to a Reuters tally. In contrast, it took India nearly six months to add the previous 7.7 million cases.

The Wire Science is collating a list of state governments that have confirmed their inability to begin the expansion on May 1.

Additionally, reports suggest that Kerala and West Bengal – among others – will also not begin the expansion on May 1, but there has not been official confirmation yet.

Delhi

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday asked people between the ages of 18 and 44 not to queue up outside COVID-19 vaccination centres from May 1, saying the state hasn’t yet received doses yet. He said around 3 lakh doses of Covishield are expected by May 3, when the drive for vaccinating people above 18 years will commence.

Kejriwal said his government has placed orders for 67 lakh doses each of Covishield and Covaxin, which will be delivered over three months. “We aim to vaccinate everyone in the next three months if a sufficient quantity of vaccines is supplied by the companies,” he said.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday that the vaccination drive will not begin on May 1 cannot be launched in the state due to an unavailability of doses. The state government plans to vaccinate its citizens in the next six months, he added.

Tope encouraged people to register on the Co-WIN portal, but asked them not to congregate at vaccination centres.

“We are all eager to know whether the vaccination will start from May 1. The answer is that the vaccination will not start from May 1. The reason is that (sufficient vaccines) are not available immediately with us today itself,” he said.

A committee comprising health department representatives and ministers will see if micro-planning can be done to implement the programme more efficiently. “The committee will discuss whether people from the age group can be categorised like 18-25, 25-35 and 35-44 age. The committee will discuss whether the 35-44 age group can be vaccinated first or those with co-morbidity among these will be inoculated first,” he added.

A notice reads ‘No vaccination for 3 days as per BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) orders’ pasted outside a COVID-19 vaccination centre in Mumbai, April 30, 2021. Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil

Andhra Pradesh

The state’s chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy painted an alarming picture about the scale of the shortage, suggesting that those between the ages of 18 and 44 will have to wait until September to get a shot.

He said by then, everyone above the age of 45 will have been inoculated.

Jagan said the country is producing 7 crore doses per month and said there are 60 crore people aged between 18-45 age group, who would require 120 crore doses.

“It will take four months to complete the vaccination for people aged 18 to 44, which means they will be vaccinated not before January end next year,” Jagan said in a statement.

Jharkhand

According to the Times of India, Jharkhand health minister Banna Gupta on Thursday said the state will not begin inoculating all adults on May 1, owing to the delay in getting doses from manufacturers.

Gupta said the state had ordered 25 lakh doses of Covishield and another 25 lakh doses of Covaxin to begin the drive, but they had communicated an inability to supply them. He suggested that the Centre’s massive order was holding up the states’ orders.

“Both the companies told us that the Centre has placed advanced orders for 12 crore doses (10 crore of them from Bharat Biotech) already. Due to the sheer volume of the Centre’s orders, they will not be able to supply us the doses before May 15,” he said.

Gujarat

On Thursday, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said those between 18 and 45 years will have to wait at least until May 15 to get vaccinated. He said the government has placed orders with manufacturers, which are yet to be delivered.

“Vaccination for 18-45 age group will begin once we get substantial doses of vaccines from the pharma companies, which is likely to happen soon. Latest by May 15, the drive will start as we expect to get vaccine doses any time before that date,” Rupani said.

He said the state has ordered 2.5 crore doses, of which two crore are Covishield and 50 lakh are Covaxin.

Rajasthan

Rajasthan also expects to begin the expansion only on May 15, according to the state’s health minister Raghu Sharma.

He said the state needs 7 crore COVID-19 doses to inoculate people between the age of 18-45 with doses, he said.

“There are 3.25 crore people of 18 years of age and above to be vaccinated. Total seven (crore) vaccines would be required for two doses, including wastage,” Sharma said in a statement.

He said an order for 3.75 crore doses of Covishield was placed with SII, which said the shots will be made available by May 15.

A health worker holds a vial with doses of Covishield in Paramaribo, Suriname, February 23, 2021. Photo: REUTERS/Ranu Abhelakh

Punjab

Punjab health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu also confirmed that the drive will be delayed, but could not say when it would begin.

“We are not getting adequate doses of vaccines. That is why we are facing problems. We have staff and required infrastructure for vaccination,” Sidhu told reporters.

Madhya Pradesh

The vaccination drive for the 18-44 age group will not start on May 1 in Madhya Pradesh as the manufacturers can not supply enough vaccine doses in time, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

“On contacting the manufacturers of Covishield and Covaxin vaccine candidates, we learnt that they are unable to give us doses for those above 18 years of age on May 1. So the drive covering the young people won’t start on May 1,” Chouhan said in a video message at night.

“Hopefully we will be getting [the doses] around May 3. After that we will give the final shape to the drive for the young people,” he said.

Telangana

Telangana public health director G. Srinivasa Rao said there is no certainty on when stocks would be available to begin mass vaccination of all adults, though the state government is in touch with manufacturers.

“There are no possibilities (of vaccination on May 1)… [T]here is no vaccine available in the country. We are in search of the vaccine. We require around four crore doses,” he said.

He said the vaccine manufacturers could not assure the state government as to when they will be able to supply stocks.

Uttar Pradesh

According to India Today, UP’s health minister Jai Prata Singh said the state does not have any stocks of vaccine doses available, signalling a delay in expanding the programme. He said, “Global tender has been issued for the vaccine but there is no response yet. Orders of 50 lakh doses have been made to each of the two vaccine manufacturers, but we have not received anything yet. The current stock of vaccines is only available for the 45+ group, which is for the second dose.”

Karnataka

“It is not possible for us to start vaccinating people from 18 years to 45 year from tomorrow [May 1],” Karnataka health minister K. Sudhakar said on Friday. He was unable to say when the expansion will begin. but hinted it would take a few weeks at least.

“I cannot guess the date. I will prefer to tell the people about the date only after receiving the consignment from the vaccine manufacturing countries. I will not predict how many weeks it may take,” the minister said.

“We have made orders to Serum Institute in Pune for over one crore doses but the official news is that they are still not prepared to give it to us from tomorrow as scheduled,” the minister told reporters.

He asked people who have enrolled on the Co-WIN portal to refrain from going to vaccination centres on May 1.

“We have already paid Rs 400 crore to purchase one crore doses of Covishield,” the minister said.

According to him, the Serum Institute has the capacity to produce five to six crore doses in a month while the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech can produce one to 1.5 crore doses.

A dose of Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin. Photo: REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo

Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu government on Friday deferred its roll out the vaccination drive for the 18-44 year age group on May 1.

Explaining the predicament, Tamil Nadu health secretary J. Radhakrishnan said, “Instead of waiting [until May 1] and disappointing people, I wish to clarify that we are unsure when and how much out of 1.5 crore doses of vaccine sought by Tamil Nadu, will arrive.”

He said the state government has not yet received a reply from the Centre on the demand for vaccines. It is also unsure when and how many doses SII and Bharat Biotech will supply.

Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh will also be delaying the drive, as manufacturers have informed the state that doses may not be supplied before May 1.

Chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said the government had forwarded its demand for 25 lakh doses each of Covishield and Covaxin to their manufacturers. Only Bharat Biotech (which makes Covaxin) responded to the demand, but said it can provide only three lakh doses to the state in the month of May, he said.

Jammu and Kashmir

The Jammu and Kashmir administration also said the third phase of the inoculation drive will not begin from May 1. A new date will be announced once vaccine supply is established.

Financial commissioner (health and medical education) Atal Dulloo said the union territory expects to receive vaccines by May 20. The union territory has ordered 1.24 crore doses.

Goa

Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said the state will only start inoculation those between the ages of 18-45 “as and when” vaccine doses are available, making it clear that this would not be May 1.

The state has placed an order of five lakh doses with SII.

Arunachal Pradesh

The Arunachal Pradesh cited “technical issues” for its delay in flagging off the expansion, saying it has been postponed for an indefinite period.

“The government has deferred the launch of the third phase of the vaccination drive till further orders,” he said. He declined to elaborate what these “technical” issues were.

(With agency inputs)

India’s Coronavirus Deaths Exceed 2 Lakh After Record Surge in Cases

The last 24 hours brought 360,960 new cases for the world’s largest single-day total, taking the country’s tally of infections to nearly 18 million. It was also the deadliest day so far, with 3,293 fatalities taking the toll to 201,187.

New Delhi: India’s toll from the coronavirus surged past 200,000 on Wednesday, the country’s deadliest day yet, as shortages of oxygen, medical supplies and hospital staff compounded a record number of new infections.

The second wave of infections has seen at least 300,000 people test positive each day for the past week, overwhelming healthcare facilities and crematoriums and driving an increasingly urgent international response.

The last 24 hours brought 360,960 new cases for the world’s largest single-day total, taking India’s tally of infections to nearly 18 million. It was also the deadliest day so far, with 3,293 fatalities taking the toll to 201,187.

Experts believe the official tally vastly underestimates the actual toll in a nation of 1.3 billion, however.

In the capital, New Delhi, ambulances lined up for hours to take COVID-19 victims to makeshift crematorium facilities in parks and parking lots, where bodies burned on rows of funeral pyres.

Coronavirus sufferers, many struggling for breath, flocked to a Sikh temple on the city’s outskirts, hoping to secure some of its limited supplies of oxygen.

Hospitals in and around the Indian capital said oxygen remains scarce, despite commitments to step up supplies.

“We spend the day lowering oxygen levels on our ventilators and other devices as our tanks show alarmingly dipping levels,” Dr Devlina Chakravarty, the managing director of the Artemis hospital in the suburb of Gurgaon, wrote in the Times of India newspaper.

“We make hundreds of calls and send messages every day to get our daily quota of oxygen.”

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said people were falling sick more severely and for longer periods, stacking up the pressure.

“The current wave is particularly dangerous,” he said.

“It is supremely contagious and those who are contracting it are not able to recover as swiftly. In these conditions, intensive care wards are in great demand.”

Supplies incoming

Police said a fire early on Wednesday at a hospital on the outskirts of the financial capital of Mumbai killed four people and injured several more.

Accidents at hospitals have become a special concern as India runs short of beds and oxygen supplies. Last week a fire at a hospital treating COVID-19 patients and a leaking oxygen tank at another killed 22 people.

Supplies arriving in New Delhi included ventilators and oxygen concentrators from Britain, with more sent from Australia, Germany and Ireland.

“First shipment of oxygen generators from #Taiwan to #India is leaving this week,” Kolas Yotaka, a spokeswoman for Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, said on Twitter.

“We are all in this together.”

Several countries have suspended flights from India, among measures to keep out more virulent variants of the virus.

Credit rating agency S&P Global said India’s second wave of infections could impede its economic recovery and expose other nations to further waves of outbreaks.

The Asia-Pacific region, in particular, was susceptible to contagion from the highly infectious variants in India, given the region’s low ratios of vaccination, it added.

US President Joe Biden said he had spoken at length with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on issues such as when the US would be able to ship vaccines to the South Asian nation, and added that it was his clear intention to do so.

“I think we’ll be in a position to be able to share, share vaccines, as well as know-how, with other countries who are in real need. That’s the hope and expectation,” he told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

The US State Department’s coordinator for global COVID-19 response, Gayle Smith, warned that India’s challenge called for a sustained effort: “We all need to understand that we are still at the front end of this. This hasn’t peaked yet.”

(Reuters)

Rajya Sabha Approves Bill Giving Primacy to Delhi LG; ‘Sad Day for Democracy’ Says Kejriwal

Many regional parties united to oppose the Bill in the upper house, but it passed comfortably.

New Delhi: Parliament on Wednesday approved a Bill giving primacy to Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor (LG) over the elected government, with the Rajya Sabha passing it amidst an uproar from some opposition parties and some others walking out of the house.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal termed the development as a “sad day for Indian democracy” and said his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will fight to restore power to the citizens of the National Capital Territory.

Even as 12 parties united to oppose the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Rajya Sabha passed it by voice vote.

Reporting on the developments in the Rajya Sabha, the Indian Express said the Bill “became a rallying point for the entire opposition” and saw regional parties uniting in a “rare pushback against what they called an overweening Centre”.

The passage of the Bill will mean that the Delhi government will now have to seek the opinion of the LG before taking any executive action. The Centre has maintained that the Bill is in line with the Supreme Court’s July 2018 ruling on the ambit of powers of the LG and the Delhi government after a series of run-ins between the two.

AAP said it is planning to approach the Supreme Court against the legislation, alleging it was an “unconstitutional” attempt to make the Delhi government “administratively impotent” by a political party that has been made “electorally impotent” by the people of the national capital.

The Bill which seeks to make it clear that the “government” in Delhi means the “Lieutenant Governor”, was passed by the Lok Sabha on March 22.

Rajya Sabha members of Congress, Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena, DMK and other opposition parties also termed the Bill as “unconstitutional” and claimed that it will fail judicial scrutiny. They demanded that it be examined by a Select Committee.

The upper house witnessed two brief adjournments as opposition members trooped into the well and shouted slogans against the Centre. Marshals were called in and formed a protective ring around the chair as well as Union minister of state for home affairs G, Kishan Reddy, who moved the Bill for further consideration. The members of the Biju Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party and the YSR Congress walked out of the House.

Also Read: Centre’s Delhi Amendment Bill is at Odds With Supreme Court’s Ruling and the Constitution

During the debate, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi tore into the proposed legislation, dubbing it as the “most unconstitutional Bill” the house has ever received. He said even the Delhi unit of the BJP should “join us in opposing this”.

“Make no mistake friends this is not about AAP, or Congress or BJP. It’s about the fundamentals of federalism,” he said, and alleged the current regime at the Centre was walking a path of “coercive federalism”.

Defending the Bill, Kishan Reddy asserted that the amendments have been brought to address “certain ambiguities” in the 1991 law and denied allegations that it was an attempt to usurp the powers of the elected government.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh took a jibe at the BJP, saying the Bill has been brought as the party lost assembly elections twice in the national capital.

“I am seeking justice for two crore citizens of Delhi and for 130 crore Indians. I am standing here to save the constitution of India,” he said. A notice moved by Singh regarding the Bill was not approved by the chair.

A division was sought by the opposition when the government moved the Bill for consideration in the upper house on Wednesday. During voting, 83 members were in favour while 45 opposed it. Just before the passage of the Bill, the Congress also walked out of the house.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh speaks in the Rajya Sabha during the discussion on the GNCTD Bill in the Rajya Sabha, March 24, 2021. Photo: RSTV screengrab via PTI

What the Bill says

According to the statement of objects and reasons of the Bill, to give effect to the interpretation made by the Supreme Court which had ruled that the city government need not obtain the Lieutenant Governor’s “concurrence” of every issue of day-to-day governance, the bill has been brought.

“The said Bill will promote harmonious relations between the legislature and the executive, and further define the responsibilities of the elected government and the L-G, in line with the constitutional scheme of governance of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, as interpreted by the Supreme Court,” the statement of objects said.

Executive powers of the LG of Delhi are different from the powers of governors of the state. The Delhi assembly can make laws on all subjects in the state list and concurrent list except public order, police and land.

“When a Bill has been passed by the legislative assembly, it shall be presented to the lieutenant governor and the lieutenant governor shall declare either that he assents to the Bill or that he withholds assent therefrom or that he reserves the Bill for the consideration of the president…,” the Bill said.

The Bill stated that the legislative assembly shall not make any rule to enable itself or its committees to consider the matters of the day-to-day administration of the national capital or conduct inquiries in relation to the administrative decisions.

“Any of the rule made in contravention of this proviso, before the commencement of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021, shall be void,” it said.

In June 2018, Kejriwal and his Cabinet ministers had staged a sit-in at the LG’s office as a power tussle between the then lieutenant governor and the AAP government had intensified. The Supreme Court had in July 2018 ruled that the LG cannot interfere in every decision of the Delhi government and that he must act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers.

(With PTI inputs)

EC Issues Show Cause Notice to Kejriwal for Hindu-Muslim Jibe at Opposition

The video purportedly shows that while other parties are allegedly talking about “Hindu-Muslim”, Kejriwal was talking of development, schools and women safety.

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Friday issued a show cause notice to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for posting a “Hind-Muslim” video on his Twitter handle to target the opposition, saying prima facie it has the potential of disturbing communal harmony.

Kejriwal has been asked to respond to the notice before 5:00 pm on Saturday, the day of polling in Delhi.

The video purportedly shows that other parties and media are allegedly talking of “Hindu-Muslim”, “CAA” and “mandir-masjid”, but Kejriwal was talking of development, schools and women safety.

Also read: Development vs Division’: Campaign for Delhi Polls Comes to an End

The Bharatiya Janata Party had approached the poll panel with a complaint that the February 3 video has the potential of “aggravating existing differences”.

The EC on Wednesday condemned Kejriwal for promising mohalla clinics at all city courts.

It also warned the Aam Aadmi Party national convener to be “more careful” and exercise caution while making such public utterances and statements.

The poll watchdog had fond his remarks in violation of the Model Code of Conduct and seen as a promise by a party in power.

‘Speak to Men in the House on Whom to Vote For’: Arvind Kejriwal’s Polling Day Appeal to Women

In the 2015 polls, the constituencies which saw the highest turnout of women voters were won by the Aam Aadmi Party decisively.

New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on Saturday morning, asking women to come out in large numbers and vote in the Delhi assembly elections. A line in his tweet, however, rubbed many the wrong way and was taken up by the BJP post-haste.

“Definitely go and vote. A special appeal to all women, just as you bear the responsibility of the home, the responsibility of the country and Delhi is with you. All of you ladies must go to vote and also take the men of your house along with you. Make sure to discuss with men who it is right to vote for,” tweeted Kejriwal shortly before 8 am when polling commenced.

BJP’s Nupur Sharma was quick to retort that women need not discuss whom to vote for with the men in the house.


Also read: Delhi Voting: Leaders Walk the Fine Line, Appeal to Voters Through Social Media

Smriti Irani too remarked as to why Kejriwal didn’t consider women capable enough to decide whom to vote for.

 

Responding to Union minister Smriti Irani’s remarks, Kejriwal tweeted: “Smriti ji, women of Delhi have decided who to vote for. And across Delhi, women have decided who their family will vote for. After all, they have to run the house.”

The AAP chief later clarified his first tweet and said that he meant women should tell men who to vote for. “Women know how difficult it is to run a house. If electricity rates and prices go up, who will it hurt? That’s why I said they should tell the men who to vote for,” Mr Kejriwal told NDTV.

Smriti Irani then countered the tweet again by saying: “The advice that you are giving to women, how many men did you tweet it to?”

Women’s voter turnout could play a crucial role in the Delhi assembly elections. In the 2015 polls, the constituencies which saw the highest turnout of women voters were won by the Aam Aadmi Party decisively. Seats with a high turnout of female voters were won by APP with a 5% or larger margin of victory, according to a report in NDTV.

In 2015, the BJP won a mere three seats in the 70-member assembly while AAP won the remaining 67. However, since then the party has conceded one seat to the BJP in a bypoll and six of AAP’s lawmakers have been disqualified over joining other parties.

The campaigns, leading up to the 2019 Delhi assembly elections, involved a bitter contest between the BJP and AAP, with the BJP deploying communally charged tactics to attack AAP.

No Dramatic Rise in Kejriwal’s Assets After Becoming CM

His affidavit shows income has dropped by nearly Rs 5 lakh per annum, while property appreciation saw his assets increase by Rs 1.3 crore.

New Delhi: While assets of several chief ministers have grown exponentially after they completed a term in office, those of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is contesting from the New Delhi seat, have only displayed a marginal rise, that too primarily owing to property appreciation.

According to the affidavit filed by Kejriwal before the returning officer, his total assets rose to Rs 3.4 crore from around Rs 2.1 crore in 2015, primarily due to the increase in the market value of two properties: a flat he purchased in 1998 and another that he inherited.

As per the affidavit, the cash and fixed deposits in the name of the 51-year-old politician and his wife, Sunita, increased from around Rs 15 lakh in 2015 to Rs 57 lakh in 2020. This again was primarily due to Sunita receiving Rs 32 lakh in voluntary retirement benefits.

Kejriwal’s income drops

Interestingly, Kejriwal’s income has shown a marked drop from Rs 7.42 lakh in 2014-15 to Rs 2.46 lakh the following year. In the last fiscal 2018-19, it is shown to be Rs 2.81 lakh. His spouse Sunita’s income has also shown a drop from Rs 12.08 lakh in 2014-15 to Rs 9.94 lakh in 2018-19.

As for movable assets like cash and investments, Kejriwal has declared their gross total value to be Rs 9.95 lakh in his name and Rs 57.07 lakh in the name of his spouse. He has also declared in his name one self-purchased flat in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad and inherited property in Shivani, Haryana with a current market value of Rs 1.4 crores and Rs 37 lakh respectively. It has also been declared that a flat was purchased by Sunita in Gurugram in 2010, the market value of which is now Rs 1 crore.

Kejriwal, a graduate in mechanical engineering from IIT Kharagpur, has also declared that while he was drawing a salary, his spouse was now drawing a pension.

Also Read: ‘Conspiracy,’ Says AAP After Kejriwal Made to Wait 6 Hours to File Nomination

Criminal defamation cases mount, charged in assault cases too

Kejriwal has declared that there are eight cases of “criminal defamation” pending against him, all of which are registered under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code. Many of these have been filed by BJP leaders such as the leader of party in the Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta, former MLA Karan Singh Tanwar and South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri.

One case of alleged assault and criminal conspiracy has also been registered against Kejriwal for a matter pertaining to violence during the inauguration of the Signature Bridge. In this case, AAP’s Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan is also an accused. Another assault case is pending against him under the Civil Lines police station in connection with the alleged attack on then-chief secretary Anshu Prakash in February 2018.

A case was filed against Kejriwal in Mapusa, Goa under the Representation of People Act for allegedly violating the model code of conduct during an election speech in 2017. A case was also registered against him in Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh under the RP Act during the Lok Sabha polls in 2014.

Also Read: Delhi Assembly Polls: BJP, Congress Lay Down Carpet for Regional Allies

Education reformist too has moderate assets

Atishi Marlena, the Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Kalkaji, has stated in her affidavit before the returning officer that there has one criminal case pending against her. The case, of criminal defamation, which has been registered under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, is going on in the court of additional chief metropolitan magistrate Samar Vishal at the Patiala house court. However, she added, that charges have not been framed in the matter yet.

The 38-year-old has also declared gross total movable assets worth Rs 59.79 lakh in her name and worth Rs 81.42 lakh in the name of her spouse, Praveen Singh. There are no immovable assets like agricultural land, residential or commercial property in her name of either.

Atishi, who did her master’s degree in science from the University of Oxford in 2006, is credited to have pioneered the Delhi government’s educational reforms programme. She declared an annual income of Rs 5.20 lakh in her name and Rs 3.71 lakh in the name of her spouse during the 2018-19 fiscal.