Attacks on Kejriwal’s naivete and his earlier mistakes aside, one needs to notice the AAP government in Delhi is actually trying to meet the basic demands of the people like health care and education. They did an excellent work. As far as the Lieutenant Governor and the Central government are concerned, they are completely exposed and have no defence to counter AAP. The LG has to come out from the cocoon shell or else the fate is quite evident? He can afford to deny the meeting with Kejriwal but he cannot ignore his duties holding egos. This is a pure misuse of the position and disrespect for the democratically elected representatives. This is why the earlier LG decided to resign rather than becoming a puppet in the hands of the central government. Kejriwal is an IIT Engineer, an India bureaucrat and academically better qualified; apart from all these, he is the elected Chief Minister of Delhi. It will take one phone call from Prime Minister Modi to the Lieutenant Governor and the issue can be settled. By prolonging the crisis, the Centre wants the Delhi administration to self-destruct. It was the sixth day of protest as Kejriwal was out of his office with the key ministers of his cabinet. Looking at this ongoing protest, even other state’s Chief Ministers joined the agitation.
Modi would be forced to make the call sooner or later as it will do maximum damage to his party’s image if he does continue to prolong this crisis. Either Kejriwal will break or Modi will by having to give orders to go back to work. As Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and three ministers occupied a visitors’ room in the Raj Niwas for the seventh day, BJP leaders continued their sit-in outside the Chief Minister’s office in the Delhi Secretariat for the second day. A meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal that would have ordinarily taken place in the conference room next to the site of the dharna was shifted to the residential portion of the premises. The meeting held by Baijal to discuss measures to control the ongoing spike in pollution was attended by Environment and Forest Minister Imran Hussain, senior Delhi government officers and other stakeholders. In the other part of the Raj Niwas, Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Ministers Gopal Rai and Satyendra Jain remained in the visitors’ room. The four Aam Aadmi Party leaders have said they won’t leave till the LG ends the “strike” by officers and clears the government’s proposal for doorstep delivery of ration. Having received a change of clothes, the AAP leaders were not allowed to meet visiting family members. Kejriwal said in a tweet that his brother had come from Pune and was not allowed in. The Chief Minister’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, said in a tweet that she and her mother-in-law were also not allowed to enter the Raj Niwas.
At the same time, BJP leaders continued their sit-in outside the Chief Minister’s office in the Delhi Secretariat for the second day. BJP MP Parvesh Verma, MLAs Vijender Gupta, Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Jagdish Pradhan and suspended AAP MLA Kapil Mishra demanded a meeting with the Chief Minister, who they accused of striking work. The third-floor landing of the secretariat had been taken over for the dharna, with banners hanging from railings. Mattresses had been brought in by the leaders and a television was provided by the General Administration Department. The leaders had asked for access to a washroom with a shower, but the official said there was no such facility available. Ahead of the Aam Aadmi Party’s scheduled protest at the Prime Minister’s residence, the party’s leaders alleged that the police were telling workers not to join the march, while the Delhi Police said no permission had been sought for the protest. The AAP had announced that its leaders, including MPs, MLAs, councillors, and workers would stage a protest march to the Prime Minister’s Office in support of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s demand that Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal put an end to the “strike” by the state government officers.
When our politicians get elected, they become bigheaded and their anger is seen on many occasions on the IAS, IPS and police services but neither that officer resigns nor stops doing his job despite disgrace. The question arises why this is different in the case of Delhi. One major difference could be the support of the controlling authorities without realising that such a precedent could cost them heavily at the national level if the similar behaviour is expressed by the central ministers who are quite capable of doing the same to the workforce. The BJP style of the governance is getting exposed every day. They are strictly following dharna against dharna, call everybody corrupt except themselves, stops good people from doing work, initiate stirs in election-bound states, and hurl abuses on elected members of all opposition parties as if they completely own India. Delhi voted for AAP and Modi and both should join hands when it comes working for the welfare of the citizens. Kejriwal is doing something which is apparent BJP should support this. Delhi’s people are educated and intelligent well enough to see that what BJP has done in MCD. The centre is using the LG as a tool to undercut the people elected government of Delhi. It is not acceptable. Delhi must be granted statehood soon. Delhi is unlike any other territorial states. Major population hails from the nearby Border States like Western UP, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan. Most of the capitals, in developed societies, are not state by themselves. The capital is normally administered by the federal/national government. With India, it is more important as it is a multi-cultural multi-linguistic nation. Delhi needs its status as a state to address crucial issues, otherwise, the political rivalry will never let this place prosper, earlier it was the Congress government in the centre and Delhi, Chief Minister of the same party had every liberty to execute its rights and work for the progress of the capital. Now it’s exactly an adverse situation. With most of the powers snatched, how does anybody expect Arvind Kejriwal to work efficiently? Counter dharna of BJP and not letting Kejriwal work would cost heavily because the people who are suffering will get an occasion to act and the decision is written on the walls.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)
