Storm Around Atiq Ahmed's Murder To Row Over Delhi CM Kejriwal's CBI Questioning: The Week Ahead
Storm over Atiq Ahmed's murder and Arvind Kejriwal's CBI summons, developments around Karnataka elections and UP local body polls — here's what to expect in The Week Ahead.
As the week starts, begin your Monday morning with ABP Live's dose of the political events expected to take place this week. After a very eventful second week of April that ended with the on-camera killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf in police custody, the coming week will see the conversation around this to continue, while poll-bound Karnataka will also keep people hooked to news, and all eyes will be on what comes out of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal's CBI questioning on Sunday.
Stay with ABP Live as we try to cut the clutter around the latest news from the political arena and help you understand what is likely to happen in The Week Ahead. Here are the biggest political developments expected to play out this week.
BJP's MARCH AGAINST TELANGANA GOVERNMENT
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Telangana will conduct a 'Nirudyoga March' on Friday, April 21. The march is being held as a means of protest against the K Chandrashekhar Rao government's alleged job scam. The BJP has alleged that Telangana State Public Service Commission exam papers had been leaked by people close to state minister KT Rama Rao and CM KCR and that 30 lakh job seekers in the state are awaiting employment
The first leg of the protest was held in Hanumakonda on Saturday as BJP workers marched from Kakatiya University to the Ambedkar Centre ahead. The next leg of his march will be held in Mehboobnagar on April 21, followed by another in Khammam. BJP state president Bandi Sanjay said that the party will conduct a total of 10 such rallies will be held across the state, followed by a mega march in Hyderabad. The Telangana BJP chief was arrested late on April 4 at his Karimnagar residence in connection with the paper leak case. On April 6, he was granted bail by a magistrate's court.
The BJP has put forth three demands —
1. Resignation of IT Minister KT Rama Rao.
2. An investigation into the alleged scam by a sitting high court judge.
3. Compensation of Rs 1 lakh for all students affected by the alleged paper leak
DEVELOPMENTS AROUND KARNATAKA ELECTIONS
The run-up to the Karnataka elections has been nothing short of electrifying and dramatic, promising a high-octane face-off between the Congress and the BJP on May 10. In the latest development, BJP Lingayat leader Jagadish Shettar on Sunday announced his decision to quit the party as it failed to release the third list of candidates. Shettar resigned from the Karnataka Assembly on Sunday and is expected to file his nomination as an independent candidate from the Hubli-Dharwad (Central) constituency soon. He has, however, kept his options open and could join the Congress as well. This will be a move to watch out for as the Congress's Lingayat voter base is likely to be strengthened if he joins the party.
Congress, too, suffered a setback on Sunday as two-time MLA from Pulikeshinagar Assembly constituency Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy tendered his resignation. He reportedly was denied a ticket from the seat, which led to his resignation. He went to Sirsi to meet Speaker Vishweshwar Hegade Kageri and submit his resignation.
Nominations for the election to the 224-member constituency will end on April 20. While the JD(S) has released 149 names so far, while the Congress and the BJP have released 209 and 212 names, respectively. They will release the names of the remaining candidates by Wednesday, April 19.
ALLEGATIONS AND COUNTER-ALLEGATIONS AFTER ATIQ AHMED MURDER
Politics around the Atiq Ahmed murder is also likely to heat up this week, with Opposition leaders claiming a complete breakdown of the law & order situation in the state. The Opposition is demanding a thorough inquiry into the death of the gangster-turned-politician in police custody. The Opposition is also saying that the killing was just a ploy to divert people's attention from the allegations of former J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik on the 2019 Pulwama tragedy.
Satya Pal Malik, in a recent interview with a news portal, had alleged that there were lapses in security protocol that led to the February 2019 Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. The former governor also claimed that a request by the paramilitary troops asking for an aircraft to commute was denied by the government, which in turn led to the jawans travelling by road.
Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were buried alongside the grave of the former MP's son Asad in Kasari Masari cemetery in Prayagraj, UP, amid heavy security. The issue is certain to blow up. So, keep an eye on ABP Live and never miss an update.
UP LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS
Amid the tension after Atiq Ahmed murder, the nominations for the UP local body polls will be closed on Monday, April 17. The elections will be held in two phases on May 4 and May 11, while the counting will be done on May 13. The last date for withdrawal of nomination for both phases is April 27.
As many as 37 districts under Lucknow city, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Agra, Jhansi, Prayagraj, Devipatan, Gorakhpur, and Varanasi divisions will vote in the first phase on May 4. The second phase of the polls on May 11 will feature 38 districts under nine other divisions — Bareilly, Kanpur, Meerut, Aligarh, Chitrakoot, Ayodhya, Basti, Azamgarh, and Mirzapur.
ARVIND KEJRIWAL AND DELHI LIQUOR POLICY ROW
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was questioned by the CBI for over nine hours in the Delhi liquor scam. The Aam Aadmi Party staged massive protests in multiple states. Several senior leaders of the party were detained.
After the nine-hour questioning, Kejriwal said: "CBI questioning was conducted for 9.5 hours. I answered all the questions. The entire alleged liquor scam is false and bad politics. AAP is 'kattar imaandaar party [honest party]'. They want to finish AAP, but the country's people are with us." The AAP also said that very soon, the CBI will be ordered to arrest Kejriwal to prevent him from working for Delhi.
It will be a wait-and-watch scene as the AAP plans its next move in reaction to the CBI's summons to CM Kejriwal. It will also be interesting to see if the CBI summons him again for another round of questioning this week.
Stay tuned to ABP Live as we track the updates on these stories and more.
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