FARIDABAD: AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal was shown black flags by some local residents here as he kicked off his two-day Haryana roadshow from the city this morning.

Kejriwal along with AAP candidate Purushotam Dagar of Faridabad Lok Sabha seat began his roadshow from Sector 37 market.

When Kejriwal along with his supporters reached Faridabad, some residents, who claimed that they did not support any political party, showed black flags to him and raised slogans against the Aam Aadmi Party.

"Showing black flag to Kejriwal is nothing new in this country. Black flags are always shown by the opposition parties. Kejriwal is the only leader who can govern this country very well," said a AAP supporter.

The former Delhi Chief Minister's roadshow will pass through different parts of Faridabad and Gurgaon.

Kejriwal's roadshow will pass through different parts of Faridabad like Chandawali, Dayalpur, Chaynsa, Mohna and Alawalpur and end at Nuh tonight.

The roadshow is scheduled to enter Gurgaon, from where AAP leader Yogendra Yadav is contesting elections, on Sunday afternoon and will continue through various areas. - PTI

DEHRADUN: Congress today firmly refuted suggestions that Uttarakhand MLAs loyal to Pauri Garhwal MP Satpal Maharaj, who joined BJP, may quit the party and Harish Rawat Government faced the threat of being reduced to a minority.

"All our MLAs are intact. I have talked to all MLAs representing different segments of the Pauri Lok Sabha seat.

All of them have asserted they are with the Congress. There is no possibility of their crossing over to any other side," Pradesh Congress Vice President Suryakant Dhasmana told PTI.

Rubbishing media reports that the Harish Rawat government could be reduced to a minority in the wake of Satpal Maharaj's resignation, he said, "There is no threat to the present government in the state which enjoys a comfortable majority." Asked whether Maharaj's switch-over to BJP would not harm the party's poll prospects, Dhasmana admitted it was a "temporary setback" but in the same breath said it would have no effect on the party's electoral fortunes.

On BJP's demand for Chief Minister Harish Rawat's resignation, he said it was totally uncalled for as the CM enjoys the confidence and support of majority of the members.

Senior state BJP leader Prakash Pant had yesterday demanded Rawat's resignation saying his government had been reduced to a minority with Maharaj's loyalists all set to cross over to the BJP.

The ruling Congress has 33 MLAs and has the support of seven-member PDF which consists of three BSP MLAs, three Independents and one UKD member in the 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly. Opposition BJP has 30 MLAs. 

Criticising Satpal Maharaj for "striking a deal" with BJP, Dhasmana said what he had done was the worst example of "opportunist politics".

"Maharaj has backstabbed the party which gave him ticket for the Lok Sabha seven times in 1989, 1991, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2008 and 2009 and to his wife Amrita Rawat to contest the assembly polls thrice. He should not have ditched the party in this manner." The Pauri Garhwal MP's resignation from Congress yesterday sparked speculation that about half a dozen party MLAs bearing allegiance to him might follow suit, reducing the Harish Rawat government which was sworn in only last month to a minority.

However, some of the MLAs considered loyal to him including state Assembly deputy Speaker Anusuya Prasad Maikhuri, Ganesh Godiyal and Rajendra Bhandari denied the possibility of their switch-over to any other party terming Maharaj's decision to quit the party as personal.

On the other hand, Maharaj's resignation from the Congress to join the BJP is being seen as a major shot in the arm for the saffron party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in Uttarakhand.

"With Satpal Maharaj's followers (political as well as religious) spread over many states, his joining the BJP will definitely boost the chances of the party in Lok Sabha polls not only in Uttarakhand but also in other states across the country," a senior BJP leader here said. - PTI

MIRPUR: India leg-spinner Amit Mishra said his success in the World Twenty20 opener against Pakistan was a result of some sound advice by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who asked him to maintain an attacking line.

"I am not afraid of flighting the ball because I always think about taking wickets and not restricting the batsmen. I believe you can never succeed trying to stop the flow of runs instead of trying to take wickets. If you try to take wickets, you can put pressure on the batsman," Mishra told reporters at post-match conference after India thrashed Pakistan by seven wickets here last night.

He said Dhoni's tips were of great help as the skipper has always encouraged him to stay true to his strengths.

"The captain (Dhoni) always tells me that I should try to spin the ball as that is my strength. He tells me that I have the ability to beat the batsman in flight. That's how I got Ahmed Shehzad and Shoaib Malik out today. In T20 cricket, more variations you have, the more advantageous position you are in," said Mishra who was adjudged man-of-the-match for his effort of 2/22.

The Haryana leggie felt staying positive during his prolonged period at the bench helped him perform in the high-pressure match.

"I was never down on confidence when I was not playing.

The key is to remain positive and I tried to shut out negative things. In our team, the good thing is that everyone is told to remain ready as anyone could be called. When you get your chance, you need to grab it with both hands," he said. 

"It's always a special feeling to perform against a side like Pakistan. I bowled well against them in the last Asia Cup and that also helped. There is always a pressure of playing against Pakistan but I would never say extra pressure. That is always there when you are representing your country," he said.

He said that during his time at the bench, he has worked really hard to improve upon his fitness.

"I have worked on my fitness during the gym sessions.

However I don’t agree with the critics that I am slow through the air. I am still working on my bowling talking to the coaches, captain and the senior players." Mishra has played only two T20 Internationals but has an experience of playing more than 100 (117 T20 matches) in all, with bulk of them coming in the IPL.

"Obviously, IPL has helped a lot to improve my bowling having competed with the best batsmen in the world. In fact, most of the talent in Indian cricket is coming through IPL as it is providing an ideal platform to the talented players," he said. -  PTI

NEW DELHI: Three officers, including an IAF officer who died while saving Uttarakhand flood victims, a naval officer who non-stop sailed around the world and an Army Major who killed three terrorists, were today awarded the Kirti Chakra, the second highest peacetime gallantry award.

A Civil Engineer of the Border Roads Organisation who lost his life while saving his three colleagues in an accident in Assam and a young IAF jawan who saved a village from burning were among the 10 personnel who were awarded the Shaurya Chakra by President Pranab Mukherjee.

Wg Cdr Darryl Castelino received the award posthumously for his role in Op Rahat in Uttarakhand where his Mi-17V5 chopper crashed with 20 personnel on board after he had helped in rescuing lives of more than 80 people.

Maj Mahesh Kumar of Punjab Regiment got the award for his gallant acts in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir where he eliminated four terrorists in three separate incidents.

In one of the operations, he killed one of the two terrorists who were trying to run away on a cycle and tried to attack him with a grenade.

Cdr Abhilash Tomy received the Kirti Chakra for completing world voyage on his sail ship non-stop and without any external support in 151 days. - PTI

NEW DELHI: With Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal reportedly pitching Arun Jaitely as Deputy Prime Minister if NDA comes to power, the senior BJP leader today played down the suggestion, saying he was not looking for positions.

"These are comments made in the course of a campaign. I can you assure you I am not looking for any positions," Jaitley said.

Speaking at a public rally in Amritsar yesterday, Badal had said, "If voted to power, he (Jaitley) will be deputy prime minister or finance minister".

Jaitley said, "I think what he (Badal) probably has in mind is and quite legitimate...A lot of people who have met me in Amritsar also believe that Amritsar and Punjab need a good voice at the Centre and probably that is one of the expectations from me.

"And with humility and modesty, I must say that I am reasonably qualified to be that effective voice of this region in Delhi," he said.

Jaitley, however, stressed that he was not looking for any position.

"It's a storm in a tea cup. Everybody knows these are comments made in the course of campaigning and as I have said, I have never looked for a position". - PTI 

JAIPUR: Annoyed at not being considered from Rajasthan's Barmer seat, senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh is likely to contest the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate from the constituency, sources close to him said Saturday.

He is slated to come to Barmer in a couple of days and seek feedback from local supporters and leaders before filing his nomination papers. Sources said that if he was given a go-ahead by his supporters, he will contest the elections.

Jaswant Singh represented Darjeeling in the outgoing 15th Lok Sabha. He wanted to fight election from Barmer this time, but the party fielded Colonel Sonaram, who recently switched to the BJP from the Congress.

Following strong protests from some BJP party workers against denial of BJP ticket to Jaswant Singh, a meeting was held at the home of former union minister's son Manvendra Singh Friday night.

His supporters in Barmer chalked out a strategy to field him as an independent. Some workers even took out a protest rally and burnt effigies of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje holding her responsible for denial of the ticket to Jaswant Singh. They also shouted slogans against her.

"Colonel Sonaram had been with Congress for years. Now he has switched loyalties and joined BJP. Fielding him immediately after joining BJP has sent a wrong message to the voters. He should have made to work in the organisation at least for some years before he was given such an opportunity," said a local BJP leader.

If Jaswant Singh decides to contest, he may upset the equations against Sonaram as there are at least 1.5 lakh Rajput voters in Barmer constituency.

"He has influence over voters from other castes also, so Jaswant Singh will definitely make life difficult for the BJP candidate," said Vijay Sharma, a political analyst.

Voting for the 25 parliamentary constituencies in the state will take place April 17 and 24. In the last elections in 2009, the Congress won 20 seats and the BJP four, while one seat was won by an Independent.

Jaswant Singh hails from Jasol village in Barmer district.

He was member of the union cabinet during the NDA government. - IANS