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Suspended from party 3 years ago: Khalsa says the AAP he joined does not exist today; Gandhi says party will have to shun authoritarian tendencies for him to consider such a possibility.
Chandigarh : In a setback to those trying to reunite the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, suspended party MPs, Dharamvira Gandhi and Harinder Singh Khalsa, seem to be in no mood to patch up with the party leadership.
Both Gandhi and Khalsa, who were suspended from the primary membership of the AAP for alleged “indiscipline and anti-party activities” about three years ago, have ruled out the possibility of returning to the party fold in the present circumstances.
While Gandhi, MP from Patiala, said he would consider such a possibility only if the central leadership of the party gives up its authoritarian tendencies, buries the high command culture and sticks to its promise of autonomy, Khalsa, MP from Fatehgarh Sahib, said the party he had joined ceased to exist a long time ago.
“There is no such thing as the AAP today. The party which was floated or propagated in 2014 is not there,” said Khalsa, rejecting the move outright.
Their comments are significant in view of reports that a section of AAP leaders strongly favours revocation of suspension of Gandhi and Khalsa and reaching out to others who had left the party or are dissatisfied to try and make up lost ground in the state.
The AAP had bagged four – the only ones it won across the country – of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab in the 2014 elections, but failed to live up to expectations in the state assembly polls last year. The infighting-ridden state unit has suffered setback after setback since, suffering embarrassing defeats in Gurdaspur Lok Sabha byelection and municipal polls.
Khalsa, a former diplomat, said that he felt cheated because the AAP had strayed from its declared path, ignoring internal democracy, the issue of the Lokpal, the fight against corruption and other similar ideals that attracted people.
“I will contest the 2019 election. During the budget session of Lok Sabha, (Punjab Congress president Sunil) Jakhar asked me about my plans. I told him, “If I join your party, the raison d’être of my being in politics stands defeated. I am still to decide whether I will contest from any party or as an Independent candidate,” he said. Khalsa was the SAD MP from Bathinda from 1996 to 1998.
Gandhi said he was open to talking to like-minded people. “There are nine months to go for Parliamentary elections and anything can happen. My real fight is against the SAD,” he said. The Patiala MP, who launched ‘Punjab Manch’, a political action group, in March this year, said he would give it the shape of a regional political outfit before parliamentary elections. The AAP has decided to contest all the Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.

Some 200 graves were defaced with swastikas drawn with black spray paint between Friday night and early Saturday morning at the Sunset Hills Cemetery in Glen Carbon, a small community near the city of St Louis.
Chicago: A man in the US state of Illinois was on Monday charged with hate crimes and other criminal offences after swastikas were found spray-painted on hundreds of headstones in a cemetery. Some 200 graves were defaced with swastikas drawn with black spray paint between Friday night and early Saturday morning at the Sunset Hills Cemetery in Glen Carbon, a small community near the city of St Louis.
The vandalism occurred as the country was entering the Memorial Day holiday weekend, which commemorates fallen American veterans. About 1,300 veterans are buried at the nondenominational cemetery.
Black-and-white security video captured the alleged vandal’s image, and police arrested 34-year-old Timothy McLean. McLean was charged with a host of criminal offences, including four hate crimes charges for the cemetery vandalism and additional vandalism on homes in a nearby community, police said.
No motive was given for his actions.
“We haven’t seen anything of this magnitude in the 30 years that I’ve been here,” cemetery groundskeeper Mark Johnson told local TV station KMOV.
Volunteers and cleanup crews restored the cemetery prior to a Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, and planted American flags to honour the service members buried there.

A massive fire had broken out in a rubber factory in Malviya Nagar at around 5 pm on Tuesday.
NEW DELHI: Indian Air Force helicopters have sprung into action as the fire that broke out in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar could not be doused even 12 hours after the blaze occurred. Air Force’s MI 17 helicopter has been deployed to douse the fire. “Have launched a Mi 17 helicopter for Bambi operations from Palam to try and contain the fire at Malviya Nagar godown in Delhi,” the Indian Air Force said on Wednesday.
A massive fire had broken out in a rubber factory in Malviya Nagar at around 5 pm on Tuesday. Firefighting operations are underway and are likely to continue for a few more hours. “Fire is under control now. 15 fire tenders are currently at the spot. It will take 3-4 more hours to completely douse the fire,” a fire officer said.
Several vehicles were gutted in the fire that broke out at an auto pond of the police in the area on Tuesday evening. Several shops in the locality have also came in contact with the devastating fire.
A call regarding the fire was received at Saket police station at 5.16 PM. “On reaching the spot it was found that the fire broke out at an auto pond in Sector 5 of Pushp Vihar,” DCP (south) Romil Baaniya said. The auto pond houses case property of the police’s south district. “It was found that many vehicles have caught fire,” he said.
No casualties have been reported however a lot of vehicles were damaged in the fire, said the officer.
Police said that it was found that a truck was being loaded with rubber sheets at the warehouse situated at Khirki Extension area when the vehicle suddenly caught fire and it was also spread to the building, where more rubber sheets were stored.

Visibly annoyed at the development, Delhi Chief Minister attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the move.
NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday carried out searches at the residence of Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in connection with the hiring of consultants in Public Works Department (PWD).
Jain took to Twitter to inform about the raid. He said: “CBI raids my house for hiring creative team by PWD. Professionals were hired for different projects. All were forced to leave by CBI.”
Visibly annoyed at the development, Delhi Chief Minister attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the move. “What does PM Modi want?,” the Delhi CM tweeted.
The CBI is probing the role of Jain, Delhi’s PWD Minister, in connection with the alleged irregularities in the hiring of professionals in the PWD. The hiring of 24 architects was allegedly done through a detective agency which had no prior experience but was tasked with finding the “best brains” in architecture colleges across the country to be inducted in the creative team of the PWD.
It is alleged that the creative wing floated by the Delhi government on September 1, 2015 was without the requisite approval or knowledge of the Lieutenant Governor. It is also alleged that the hiring of the 24 professionals was done for two years on which Rs 5.74 crore were spent.
The preliminary enquiry was registered on the complaint from Vigilance Department of the Delhi government.

The dissatisfied bank employees are protesting against the two per cent wage hike that has been proposed by the Indian Banks’ Association.
NEW DELHI: As employees of public sector banks go on a two-day nationwide strike starting today, banking transactions are likely to take a huge hit across the country. With nearly 1 million bank employees on strike, even ATM services are also likely to be impacted as monthly salaries are expected on Thursday and cash withdrawals may get difficult. Banks, however, have said that they will replenish the ATMs before employees go on strike to make sure that ATMs don’t go dry. Online transactions will not be impacted despite the strike.
The dissatisfied bank employees are protesting against the two per cent wage hike that has been proposed by the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA). The strike has been called by the United Forum of Banking Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine bank unions.
“On 30 and 31st May, 10 lakh bank employees all over India will be on strike over the issue of wage revision,” Vice-President of National Organisation of Bank Workers, Ashwani Rana said.
The UFBU has demanded early wage review settlement, sufficient increase in salary and improvement in other service conditions and wage revision settlement for all officers up to scale VII. The latest round of wage revision for all banks is due from 1 November 2017.
In the wage negotiation meeting held on May 5, the IBA refused to revise wages for all officers, citing poor financial conditions at banks. Large public sector banks had reported huge losses in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2018 owing to mounting bad loans. IBA had said that the negotiations on officers demands would be restricted up to scale III officers only.
While the banks have said that the ATM’s will be replenished, the ATM security guards are also likely to participate in the protest. Hence, the security of the ATMs cannot be ascertained.

Mukherjee has given his consent to be a guest at the valedictory function of Third Year Sangha Shiksha Varga of the RSS.
Veteran Congress leader CK Jaffer Sharief has objected to former President Pranab Mukherjee’s scheduled visit to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur in Maharashtra. Terming the decision of the former Congress stalwart as “surprising and shocking”, Sharief said that Mukherjee should not “ignore his background”.
“His decision to go to RSS is surprising and shocking. Being a Congress man life long, he can’t ignore his background. He didn’t take anyone into confidence, he’s suddenly going,” said the veteran Congress leader on Mukherjee’s visit, scheduled for June 7.
Mukherjee has given his consent to be a guest at the valedictory function of Third Year Sangha Shiksha Varga (SSV) of the RSS. This was confirmed by RSS Akhil Bhartiya Prachar Pramukh Arun Kumar. “We have invited the former President of India and it is his greatness that he has given his consent for participating in the programme,” he had said. The Sangh leadership invites eminent people for the annual event held at its headquarters at Reshim Bagh.
RSS leader Rakesh Sinha also said, “Former president Pranab Mukherjee’s acceptance to attend RSS event in Nagpur sends a message to the country that on vital issues there should be dialogue and adversaries are not enemies. Questions raised on RSS-Hindutva is being answered by his acceptance of the invitation.”
In June 2017, when Mukherjee was the president, he had invited RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for lunch at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The RSS had said at that time that it was a pre-decided courtesy meet. Earlier, Bhagwat had called on Mukherjee in December 2015, a day after BJP had lost the Bihar Assembly elections. The RSS functionaries had said that Bhagwat had gone to extend Diwali greetings to Mukherjee.
A veteran Congress leader, Mukherjee, 82, was the 13th president of India and held the office from 2012 to 2017. He has been associated with the Congress since 1969, when he was elected to the Rajya Sabha. Mukherjee has worked closely with former PMs Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv. He became Union finance minister for the first time in 1982 and served till 1984. In his last stint, he served as the finance minister in Congress-led UPA II government headed by Manmohan Singh.

The Madras High Court further directed the CBSE to issue directions to schools across the country to stop use of non-prescribed books.
Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to direct schools to not give homework to students of class 1 and class 2. The court also asked the board to set up flying squads to check any violation of the order.
The Madras High Court further directed the CBSE to issue directions to schools across the country to stop use of non-prescribed books. A report has been sought by the court from the central government and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) within four weeks.
The court also asked the central government to instruct state government to ensure that weight of school bags do not exceed 10 per cent of the weight of a child.
It observed that children are neither weightlifters nor school bags loaded containers. Justice N Kirubakaran, while referring to the government orders (GOs) issued by governments of Telangana and Maharashtra, directed the Centre to direct the state governments and governments of Union Territories to formulate a “Children School Bag Policy” reducing the weight of the satchels in line with the guidelines issued by either state.
Besides, the court directed the Central Board of School Education (CBSE), the regional officer of CBSE and the Association of Management of Private Schools to prescribe and use (NCERT) books alone. Justice N Kirubakaran was passing an interim order on a petition from M Purushothaman, an advocate, seeking a direction to CBSE schools to purchase only books published by NCERT and to prescribe syllabus of NCERT.
With regard to homework, it was specifically stated in the counter affidavit filed by secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy of Human Resource Development Ministry that “there is no homework upto class II and (homework can be given) two hours a week from class III.” Therefore, no school affiliated to CBSE can prescribe or give homework to class I and class II students.
The judge, referring to various research experts and a parenting psychologist, said: “Many experts find that homework is beneficial only to older kids whereas young children are notably lacking in “executive control”, the ability to concentrate, to follow directions, to control impulses and keep the details in mind.
Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect the KG students, first and second class students to do homework, assignment on their own and homework for class I and II children have to be prohibited. The judge, referring to various experts in the medical field, in his order, said, “The doctors say that on an average five- or six-year-old needs about 11 hours of sleep each night and if they leave for school early in the morning, they should have early bed time.

The southwest monsoon hit south Indian state of Kerala on Tuesday, three days before its expected arrival.
DELHI: Several parts of north India continued to reel under severe heat wave conditions, throwing normal life out of gear. Temperatures in Rajasthan touched nearly 49 degrees Celsius. In Delhi, maximum temperatures reached 44.4 degree Celsius on Tuesday, four notches above normal.
In Rajasthan, at least five places recorded maximum temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius, with the mercury touching 49 degree Celcius in Bundi and 48.7 degree Celcius mark in Sriganganagar, informed the India Meteorological Department department. Other places where the mercury went past 45 degrees Celsius are Churu (47.6), Bikaner (46.2), Pilani (45.6), Kota (45.5). Jaisalmer recorded 45 degrees Celsius, while Jaipur touched 44.9 degrees Celsius.
In Delhi, the mercury touched 46.5 degrees in Palam area, six notches above the season`s average. Ayanagar recorded 45.2 degrees Celsius, Ridge and Narela 44.2 degrees Celsius while Gurugram and Faridabad sizzled at 44.4 degree Celsius.
Temperatures remained over 40.0 degrees at several parts in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, east Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and few pockets in Jammu, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, north interior Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
In Haryana, scorching heat condition prevailed in Hisar and Bhiwani and their maximums were 46.6 and 46.4 degrees Celsius respectively, up to four notches above normal. In Punjab, Amritsar’s maximum was 44.2 deg C, up three notches against normal limits.
Delhi-NCR is likely to witness relief on Wednesday, May 30 onwards. “Maximum temperatures are expected to drop by two to three degrees on Wednesday with light rains towards the evening,” IMD scientist Kuldeep Srivastava told IANS.
However, the monsoon rains will not arrive before June 20.
Dust storms accompanied by light rains occurred at isolated places over eastern Uttar Pradesh including Lucknow, but the weather remained dry over western parts of the state on Tuesday. Day temperature was above normal in Allahabad, Moradabad, Jhansi, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Kanpur divisions, with Orai recording the highest maximum temperature of 47 degrees Celsius. On Tuesday night, thunderstorm and lightning claimed 15 lives and injured 10 people in various parts of Uttar Pradesh, said a senior government official.
The southwest monsoon hit south Indian state of Kerala on Tuesday, three days before its expected arrival. The onset of monsoon over the southern state marks the commencement of the four-month-long rainy season in India. June 1 is the official onset date for the arrival of monsoon in the country and it takes more than a month-and-half to cover the entire country.
Heavy rains lashed Karnataka’s coastal districts on Tuesday, with waterlogging reported in many parts of Mangalore and Udupi. Schools and colleges will remain shut on Wednesday in these places due to rains.

The situation has been severe and authorities have ordered closure of schools and colleges in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.
Twin coastal districts of Karnataka – Dakshina Kannada and Udupi – have witnessed heavy downpour in the past three days, throwing life completely out of gear. Low-lying areas have been inundated while roads are flooded, disrupting traffic.
The situation has been severe and authorities have ordered closure of schools and colleges in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. News agency PTI quoted official sources as saying that Mangaluru city witnessed unforeseen rainfall, flooding roads and damaging residential and commercial establishments.
In Mangaluru, boats had to be used to ferry stranded people, including school children at Alake in Kudroli areas, which were almost submerged. Students of Alake Gujarati school could not get out of the school building due to water logging. Fire and rescue service personnel and members of the public extended help to the children who were brought out of the school, PTI reported.
Water entered several factories in Baikampady industrial area in the flood caused by heavy rains, resulting in huge losses.
In Udupi, a huge banyan tree was uprooted and fell on the road at Udyavar, blocking vehicular traffic. Many electric poles and hoardings also fell on the ground. About 130 buildings, including houses, were partially or fully damaged in the rains in the last two days in Udupi district, district administration. The total loss was estimated at Rs 51.37 lakh.
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday took stock of the situation and directed officials to take assistance from the Coast Guard to rescue people, if such situation arises. The Chief Minister also instructed the officials to take necessary precautionary steps to mitigate severe damages and prevent loss of lives, said a press release from CMO.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also reviewed the situation. He asked the Home Secretary to rush more National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to Mangaluru if required. A tweet by the Home Ministry said, “HM Shri @rajnathsingh has reviewed the situation in Mangaluru and other areas after the reports of heavy rains in coastal Karnataka. He has asked the Home Secretary to rush more NDRF teams to Mangaluru, if required. MHA is closely monitoring the situation in coastal Karnataka.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to officials to take stock of the situation and directed officials to ensure all possible assistance. “I pray for the safety and wellbeing of all those affected by heavy rains in various parts of Karnataka. Have spoken to officials and asked them to ensure all possible assistance in the affected areas,” Modi said in a tweet.

Punjab CM Capt Amarinder holds meeting: Tenures of zila parishads, block samitis end on July 9, of panchayats on Aug 9.
Chandigarh : Elections for panchayats in Punjab due in July and August look set for postponement by at least two months as there’s still no final word on wards and posts to be reserved for women and Scheduled Castes, HT has learnt.
As MLAs of the ruling Congress want more discussion on specifics, chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh held a meeting on Tuesday with rural development and panchayats minister Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Sunil Jakhar, besides officials.“Each ward and a suitable candidate must be looked at again before going ahead with the polls. Political needs have to be addressed,” said one of the more than a dozen MLAs — Congress has 77 in a House of 117 — who met Jakhar earlier this month to raise the issue. Government was waiting for the Shahkot assembly bypoll to be over to ponder on the forthcoming polls. Result of the bypoll, voting for which took place on Monday, is scheduled for Wednesday.
A major issue is that the state cabinet in June increased reservation for women in urban local bodies and panchayati raj institutions from 33% to 50% — it was one of the promises made by Congress before assembly elections early last year.
Jakhar said apprehensions raised by MLAs “have a basis” because “reservation within reservation has to be settled”. He added, though, “We asked the minister and the head of the department (financial commissioner, rural development and panchayats), Anurag Verma, to be make arrangements so that elections can be held on time.”
Verma said, “A clear picture about the polls will emerge in July.” Reservation and marking of wards, besides other preparations thereafter, will take at least two months, said a senior official who was part of the meeting too. When tenures of the current elected bodies end, government has to announce poll dates and appoint interim administrators from among officials.
Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Navtej Singh Cheema was among the MLAs who raised the matter. “The forthcoming elections (of panchayats, block samitis and zila parishads) are different from usual, because there’s 50% reservation for women. Selecting the right candidates is a big issue. So, we wanted to discuss the matter at the top government levels,” he said.
Another official of the rural development department, however, said on the condition of anonymity, “There is not much scope to tweak the system of reservation of wards, because it takes place by rotation, and there’s roster in place. In 2008, the SAD-BJP government ignored the roster, which led to litigation. In 2013, the same government decided to follow the roster. The present government should also understand this issue.”