ED contacts Apple to get Arvind Kejriwal's iPhone while it is being held, but encounters a password issue: Report

Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, departs at Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday in New Delhi, India.

Arvind Kejriwal's Arrest: According to sources familiar with the matter, Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigators, who have been holding Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in custody for more than a week, have contacted Apple for assistance in accessing his iPhone.

According to the source, ED has formally contacted Apple, the phone's maker, in an attempt to acquire access to Kejriwal's iPhone. However, they were told that a password was necessary to get any data.

Senior authorities involved in the probe claimed that during interrogation, the Chief Minister stated that accessing his phone data and chats would offer information about the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) "election strategy" and pre-election alliances.

According to reports, the ED has recovered no electronic evidence from the Chief Minister's personal laptops or PCs. However, they seized four cell phones, including his. On March 21, his arrest resulted in the discovery of roughly ₹70,000 at his apartment, which was not seized. Sources informed IE that the Chief Minister had turned off his iPhone and had not divulged his password.

The Chief Minister informed the ED that he had been using the same phone for almost a year and that the device he used to create the liquor policy in 2020-2021 was no longer in his possession.

Earlier on Saturday, the ED quizzed Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot for around five hours and recorded his testimony in connection with a money-laundering inquiry into the AAP government's now-abolished excise policy.

Gahlot, 49, is an AAP politician and Najafgarh MLA who works as the minister for transport, home, and law in the Delhi government under Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been detained in connection with the case by the federal agency.

According to reports, Gahlot was questioned about the formation of the excise policy for 2021-22 while serving in the Group of Ministers (GoM) alongside former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and former urban development minister Satyendar Jain.

Gahlot said he was summoned by the ED for interrogation in the matter because "probably I was part of the GoM..." It (the inquiry) included all areas of the policy, and I responded to the best of my knowledge and recall," PTI said.

The excise case includes alleged corruption and money laundering in the drafting and implementation of the Delhi government's tax policy for 2021-22, which was later revoked.

Following a suggestion by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was charged with looking into the alleged anomalies in the formulation and implementation of the liquor policy. The ED filed a complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Previously, the ED seized AAP leaders Sisodia and Sanjay Singh in connection with the investigation, and they are now in judicial custody.

The Aam Aadmi Party and its officials have continually denied claims of impropriety, with Kejriwal claiming that the case was staged by the BJP-led Centre to depict AAP as corrupt.

In an I-T notice, Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar claims the BJP is targeting him politically.

DK Shivakumar

NEW DELHI: DK Shivakumar, the head of the state Congress and deputy chief minister of Karnataka, has claimed to have received an income tax notice on Friday night.

The notification, Shivakumar said, related to a matter that had already been resolved.

 
In an interview with the media on the IT alerts to Congress, he revealed this.

"This is a democratic nation.

A law is in place. This type of action and direction to officials is coming from the BJP administration "Sivakumar remarked.

He declared that the NDA will be defeated by the INDIA bloc, which is why they are inciting panic among the opposition. "They are targeting the opposition, which means they are afraid of the Congress and the INDIA Alliance.

"The NDA will be vanquished by the INDIA Alliance. The BJP is aware of this vulnerability. They are aware that they won't win the election. That's why they're attempting to instill terror. I also received a notification from IT last night regarding an issue that has already been resolved," he continued.

The Congress Party has named Revanth Reddy as Telangana's Chief Minister.

After two days of speculation, the Congress central leadership has named Telangana party chief A. Revanth Reddy as its choice for State Chief Minister. On December 7, he will take the oath of office.

Mr. Reddy was elected as the Congress Legislature Party's (CLP) leader, and he will be the first Congress Chief Minister of Telangana, a state that was formed in 2014. On the basis of a report submitted by the party's poll observers, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge gave his approval.

The president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee was elected with a landslide majority from the Kodangal Assembly constituency, but he and outgoing Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao lost the Kamareddy seat to BJP candidate Katipally Venkataramana Reddy.

'Dynamic Leader'

"Going by the input given by the Congress spectators, counting Karnataka Agent Chief Serve D.K. Shivakumar, party in-charge for Telangana Manikrao Thakare, and other pioneers, the Congress president chosen to assign Mr. Reddy as the CLP pioneer," said All India Congress Committee common secretary K.C. Venugopal at a press conference in Unused Delhi.

The observers were present at the Telangana CLP meeting on December 4, which authorised the party president to nominate the CLP leader.

Mr. Venugopal described Mr. Reddy as a dynamic leader and stated that he, along with all senior leaders, had campaigned extensively in the run-up to the election.

He reaffirmed the party's commitment to the people of Telangana, saying that the new government's top priority would be to fulfil their aspirations and the promises made by the party. He made it clear that the State would be a collaborative effort, with everyone involved in the process.

The observers attended the press conference, as did former CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Nalgonda MP N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, both of whom were running for the top job. Both had previously met separately with the central observers and Mr. Shivakumar.

The party's focus will now shift to forming the new Council of Ministers. Apart from the Chief Minister, the Cabinet can have a maximum of 17 Ministers. The leadership will have to walk a tightrope to accommodate the ambitious aspirants among its 64 MLAs, a mix of newcomers and seasoned politicians.

"Not Aware": Mamata Banerjee Will Not Attend The Upcoming India Bloc Meeting

In north Bengal, Mamata Banerjee has a prearranged programme. (FILE)

Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, will not be present at this Wednesday's INDIA alliance coordination meeting. On that day, Ms. Banerjee has a prearranged programme in north Bengal. She claimed that the Congress lost the most recent state elections because there were no seat-sharing agreements with other INDIA members.

"I am not informed of this meeting. I've already planned a programme in north Bengal because of this. There, I have a seven-day schedule. Would I have continued with this programme if I had known? Without a doubt, I would have taken it. However, I'm going on the north Bengal tour because we don't have any information," she declared.

According to sources, her party, the Trinamool Congress, might also skip the meeting.

Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh described the meeting as "informal" following Mamata Banerjee's announcement.

The opposition bloc's next meeting was called by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge yesterday, despite the party suffering significant losses at the hands of the BJP in three states. Three months have passed since the last meeting, which took place in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1.

Plans for the Lok Sabha election of the following year are anticipated to be outlined at the meeting.

The Congress suffered a crushing defeat as the BJP swept Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, strengthening its grip on the Hindi heartland.

The Congress found solace in Telangana, where it defeated the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in the state assembly elections, which were widely considered a prelude to the general elections of the following year.

The allies of the INDIA bloc criticised the Congress for putting the Opposition alliance in a state of confusion while it concentrated on the state elections, blaming the party for not fighting the elections together.

Earlier in the day, the chief minister of Bengal claimed that a "division of votes" resulted from the Congress's decision to contest the polls.

Telangana is now a Congress state. Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan would have been their victories. The INDIA parties withheld some votes. That is the reality. We had proposed a system of seat sharing. In a speech to the West Bengal Assembly, Ms. Banerjee stated, "They lost because of a division of votes."

"The attempt to bring everyone together should gain momentum," stated Abhishek Banerjee, national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress. It ought to be demonstrated by their deeds rather than words."

"In the end, everyone is fighting the BJP's autocracy together. We should make the most of the time we have left because there isn't much left. We must work in the best interests of the people, putting aside our own interests. Set aside political egos, the opportunity to fight should be extended to those who are capable and strong in their areas. The people will gain from this," he continued.

Omar Abdullah, the leader of the National Conference, made fun of the Congress yesterday for remembering the INDIA alliance so late: "The Congress chief has invited some INDIA alliance leaders for lunch on December 6. Three months later, they called for the INDIA alliance again. See you later."

A day after the crushing defeat, the Congress declared that it would examine the events in the two states it controlled, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The sources claim that Mr. Kharge stated, "Mistakes have occurred and we will make course corrections." "Over confidence in some states and refusal to adhere to proper candidates and campaign cost us in the last few days of the elections," he stated.

However, a number of opposition leaders emphasised that the INDIA bloc needs to put in more effort ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and that the results will not affect the bloc.

"There are wins and losses. Both those who have triumphed and those who have lost have lessons for us to learn. Leading member of the National Conference (NC), Farooq Abdullah, stated that "India has to be one, it is for everyone, and we need to strengthen the country."

Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, stated that "INDIA has to get back where we started." "We began by emphasising the need to back the parties in the areas where they are most powerful. The polling in 2024 will be historic. Change is on the horizon."

Source: NDTV

Days before the assembly election, Ashok Gehlot announces the Rajasthan Congress manifesto and promises a caste census.

 

On Tuesday, the Congress released its manifesto for the Rajasthan assembly elections. The manifesto titled 'Jan Ghoshna Patra' was released at the state party office by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party in-charge for Rajasthan Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, chief minister Ashok Gehlot, state party president Govind Singh Dotasra, manifesto committee chairman CP Joshi, and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.

In its Rajasthan election manifesto, Congress promised a new scheme for panchayat recruitment and a caste census if it returns to power in the state.

"...The people of Rajasthan will be proud of the way we have managed the state's financial situation... Rajasthan's per capita income has increased by 46.48 per cent. Our ambition is to be the highest-income country in the world by 2030. "The state GDP reached 19.50 in 2020-21, the highest in the decade," Gehlot said at the press conference.

If the Congress is re-elected, Gehlot has already made seven "guarantees" or promises to the people of Rajasthan.

Among the seven "guarantees" are

• A yearly honorarium of ₹10,000 is guaranteed by the Griha Lakshmi Yojana for the female head of the family.
• LPG cylinders for households ranging from ₹500k to 1.05k.
• purchase of manure for ₹2 per kg from cattle rearers with the Gowdhan guarantee.
• legislation for the previous government employee pension plan.
• Tablets or laptops are given to students applying to government colleges.
• Insurance that covers up to ₹15 lakh per family for education in the English language and natural disaster losses.
• The ₹25 lakh to ₹50 lakh Chiranjeevi health insurance scheme will be implemented.

The manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party is already available.

"We fulfil the promises we make," stated Kharge upon the manifesto's release. This is a significant victory for Rajasthan and the Congress party if any party implements 90% of the manifesto."

The assembly election in Rajasthan is scheduled for November 25. The results will be tallied on December 3. In the 2013 legislative assembly elections, the BJP secured 163 seats and took power in Rajasthan.

In the 200-member House, the Congress secured 99 seats and the BJP 73 seats in the 2018 assembly elections. Gehlot eventually sworn in as chief minister with the backing of Independents and BSP MLAs.

The Congress Party has released the first list of 144 candidates for the Madhya Pradesh elections, including Chhindwara's Kamal Nath.

On Saturday, Madhya Pradesh Congress President Kamal Nath and other party leaders met at the AICC office in New Delhi to finalise candidates for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections. (ANI)

On Sunday, the Congress party released its first list of 144 candidates for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, which includes state unit president and former chief minister Kamal Nath of Chhindwara. Jaivardhan Singh, the son of former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, has been nominated for the Raghigath seat. He served as a minister in the previous Kamal Nath government, which fell apart in March 2021 when 22 sitting Congress MLAs resigned and joined the BJP under the leadership of Jyotiraditya Scindia.

The announcement was made the day after the party's Central Election Committee met at the AICC office in New Delhi to select the final candidates.

During "Pitru Paksha," the time when Hindus pay respect to their ancestors, Nath had stated that the Congress will declare its candidates for the assembly elections. Pitru Paksha ended on Sunday, and the fortunate Navratri holiday officially began.

Out of the 230 assembly districts in the state, 136 have already had candidates from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced.

Election day in the state is November 17, and the results will be tallied on December 3.

Here's the list of 144 candidates for Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections:

The first list of 30 candidates from the Congress was also made public, along with a second list of 55 candidates for the Telangana assembly elections scheduled for next month. In Chhattisgarh, the party ran both Bhupesh Baghel, the chief minister, in the Ambikapur assembly seat and T S Singh Deo, the deputy chief minister.

Anumala Revanth Reddy, the state unit chairman for the Congress party, ran for the Kodangal assembly seat in Telangana, while Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu, the leader of the CLP, ran for the Madhira-SC seat.

While Telangana assembly elections will take place on November 30, Chhattisgarh assembly elections will be held in two stages on November 7 and November 17.

Rahul Gandhi announces the decision of the Congress Working Committee to undertake caste censuses in four of the controlling states.

On October 9, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi declared that the party's Working Committee had made a solid commitment to conduct a caste census in states. He further underlined that the project is not motivated by caste or religion, but rather by a desire to help the economically underprivileged.

"We have decided to conduct a caste census, and we do not break promises." The step has nothing to do with caste or religion. It is being done for the poor," Rahul Gandhi stated at a press conference.

Rahul Gandhi noted that the Congress presently has four Chief Ministers, three of them are members of the OBC minority. In striking contrast, he continued, the BJP has 10 Chief Ministers, but only one of them represents the OBC community.

He also emphasised the need of Prime Minister Narendra Modi openly outlining steps to help the OBC group.

Rahul Gandhi stated that the Congress party is determined to put pressure on the BJP to conduct a caste-based census. If the BJP does not comply, Rahul Gandhi recommended that the BJP delegate authority to the Congress party on this subject.

"We have four CMs, three of whom are from the OBC community; the BJP has ten CMs, only one of whom is from the OBC community." Narendra Modi will have to explain to the people of his country what he has done for the community. "We will compel the BJP to conduct the caste census, and if they refuse, they should leave it to us,"

Rahul Gandhi stated, flanked by the Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Chattisgarh.

Rahul Gandhi claimed that the majority of the India coalition coalition partners will accept the notion of a caste census. He highlighted that the decision to conduct a caste census is not a political decision, but rather a one taken to promote social equality.

Rahul Gandhi has criticized the caste census, following an order from Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan for a caste survey similar to Bihar's. The Congress has also announced plans to conduct a caste survey in Chhattisgarh if re-elected.

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar revealed that OBCs and EBCs constitute 63% of the state's total population, with the Extremely Backward Classes (36%) being the largest social segment. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh emphasized the urgent need for a caste census during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, stating that people from all backward classes in the country have expressed a common request for one.

The results of the caste census are expected to be released later this year.