Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Cabinet Ministers — Satyendar Jain, Gopal Jain, Manish Sisodia — continued with their sit-in at Lt Governor Anil Baijal’s official accommodation-cum-office at Raj Niwas in New Delhi on Friday.
They are demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their undeclared strike, action against officers who have struck work for “four months” and approval to his government’s proposal for doorstep delivery of ration to the poor.
Kejriwal took to Twitter saying: “PM Sir, suppose Hansmukh Adhia, Nripendra Mishra, Pradeep Sinha, R N Choubey, Sushil Kr come to their office everyday but stop attending all the meetings called by u and they say that they r not on strike- will u be able to work?”.
PM Sir, suppose Hansmukh Adhia, Nripendra Mishra, Pradeep Sinha, R N Choubey, Sushil Kr come to their office everyday but stop attending all the meetings called by u and they say that they r not on strike- will u be able to work? https://t.co/2P0ZFC2BmD
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 15, 2018
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who is on a hunger strike since Tuesday, in a tweet urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look into the matter.
“Have been waiting in the LG office from last four nights, but he could not mange even four minutes time. I hope the Prime Minister will look into this,” Jain tweeted
सुप्रभात साथियों,
LGऑफ़िस में इंतज़ार करते 4 रातें बीत गई, मगर LG साहेब 4 मिनट का समय नहीं निकाल पाए, उम्मीद हैंम.प्रधानमंत्रीजीध्यान देंगे— Satyendar Jain (@SatyendarJain) June 15, 2018
Echoing same sentiments, Rai also tweeted that hoping “Modi will be concerned about the fitness of the democracy in Delhi”.
Summarising the journey so far, Kejriwal said in tweet: “There has been no response from the LG. I have asked him for time for a meeting. I had asked the Prime Minister to look into the matter, he too did not respond. Hope Delhi will soon find a solution.”
सुप्रभात साथियों,
. @LtGovDelhi ऑफ़िस में इंतज़ार करते चार रातें बीत गई, मगर LG साहेब दिल्ली में चल रहे इस विकट संकट के लिए 4 मिनट का समय नहीं निकाल पाए, उम्मीद करते हैं माननीय प्रधानमंत्री जी देश की राजधानी दिल्ली में लोकतंत्र की फ़िट्नेस को ज़रूरी समझेंगे और इस पर ध्यान देंगे।
— Gopal Rai (@AapKaGopalRai) June 15, 2018
On Thursday, Kejriwal in a letter sought PM Modi’s intervention to end the IAS officers’ “strike”, as there has been no communication from Baijal’s office.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has launched a social media campaign with the hashtag #ModijiForgiveDelhi.
Party members posted videos requesting Modi to let the elected government work by instructing the IAS officers to join back work.
Since Monday, Baijal has been working from his residence, according to sources.
More political leaders and parties have come forward to express their support to the sit-in, with former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Shatrughan Sinha, and parties like the CPI and the CPI(M) being the latest to join the list.
Kejriwal’s protest has already been backed by West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, RJD MP Manoj Jha, former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha.
. @ArvindKejriwal, CM of Delhi is sitting in a dharna in LG’s office for the last few days in the capital city of the country. Elected CM must get due respect. May I appeal to the Govt of India and @LtGovDelhi to resolve the problem immediately so that people do not suffer
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) June 13, 2018
Akhilesh Yadav, in a tweet, said the capturing of secretariat of the national capital by the political party in power points towards a “situation worse than the killing of the democracy”.
“This is an arrogance of the power. Those who are capturing the democracy with their power today will also capture the houses of the people. The people are angry as well as scared,” he had said.
Disgruntled BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha had said the current situation is “not good or desirable for our Delhi government, Central government and the people of our country”.