Standing on the cusp of a nerve-shredding election this Saturday, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal launched a scathing attack on the BJP, calling it a party capable only of politics of mud-slinging.
“One BJP leader calls me haramkhor, another calls me a monkey. A minister calls me a thief and the PM says I am a Naxal and thatI am unlucky,” Kejriwal told a gathering of about 2,000 people in Tilak Nagar. “Yeh sirf kichad phekne ki rajneeti kar sakte hain (These people can only know the politics of mud-slinging). But the voter is smart and will vote for the truth,” he said.
He said there should be some basic standards of conduct in politics and it was unfortunate that the BJP had not maintained civility.
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In a list-ditch effort to pit his 49-day rule against the seven months under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the AAP leader said the BJP does not have the intention to deliver on its promises” “On power, they promised to reduce prices. Instead, they increased them. On women’s security…there is an increase in rape cases by 25 per cent. Look at the prices of vegetable and fruits compared to one year ago. They know how to solve the problems, but their intentions are not right,” Kejriwal said.
The AAP leader also launched a veiled attack on Modi, questioning his policies and promises.
“PM says he will build houses on jhuggis but why has the BJP government demolished jhuggis in Okhla, Rangpuri and Wazirpur?”
On women’s issues, Kejriwal said BJP’s mindset is to “lock up women in their houses” and then call it women’s “security”. “In Lok Sabha elections, we heard slogans such as ‘Bahut hua nari par waar, ab ki baar Modi sarkaar’. But now their ministers order women to produce four children. Others say they should not wear jeans. They want women to go back to the 16 century,” the AAP leader said.
Jaitley’s poser for former IRS man
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New Delhi: Stepping up the attack on AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on the issue of alleged dubious donations, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said political donations made through cheques “do not purify the transaction” and challenged Kejriwal to be “honest enough to tell the people what ‘Arvind Kejriwal, IRS’ would have done under these circumstances”.
“Surely, when a company donates lakhs and crores to a political party, the party would attempt to know as to who the controlling interest behind these companies are. The only fact that the donations have been made by cheque does not purify the transaction…,” Jaitley said in an article.
As City Editor ( Delhi) at the Indian Express, Kaunain Sheriff leads city reporting with a sharp focus on accountability journalism, data-driven stories, and ground-level impact. As the National Health Editor he leads the newsroom’s in-depth coverage of pressing health issues.
He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, a definitive investigation into the accountability of one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical corporations.
Areas of Expertise
Investigative Reporting: Has deep expertise in investigative reporting spanning public health, regulatory affairs, drug safety, and the criminal justice system. His work sits at the intersection of governance, law, and accountability, with a particular focus on how regulatory failures, institutional lapses, and policy decisions affect citizens’ rights and safety.
Data Journalism: Has extensively on big data–driven investigations, including analyses of flagship government schemes and large datasets on criminal trials, uncovering systemic gaps.
Global Collaborations
Kaunain is a key contributor to major international journalistic projects:
The Implant Files: Collaborated with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) to expose global malpractices in the medical device industry.
Chinese Big-Data Investigation: Uncovered how a foreign data firm monitored thousands of prominent Indian institutions and individuals in real-time.
Awards & Recognition
His commitment to "Journalism of Courage" has been recognized with the industry's highest honors:
Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism
SOPA Award (Society of Publishers in Asia)
Red Ink Award (Mumbai Press Club)
Indian Express Excellence Awards (Triple recipient for investigations into the NSA abuse in UP, Vyapam scam, and the anti-Sikh riots).
Education: Studied Mechanical Engineering at Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Bangalore, before moving to Delhi to pursue his passion for journalism. His engineering training informs his analytical approach, enabling him to decode technical, legal, and data-heavy systems with precision.
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Arvind Kejriwal launches a veiled attack on Modi.
