Holding the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party responsible for the large-scale sealing of non-polluting household industries in Delhi, the Congress party, under the leadership of Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, on Wednesday launched “Nyay Yudh” at Gandhi Nagar in East Delhi in the presence of over 30,000 people.
The party said it would tell the ruling parties: “Gair Kanooni Sealing Bandh Karo Varna Gaddi Chhod do”.
Thousands of people, who have been rendered unemployed due to the sealing, and the owners of small industries affected by it also participated in the “Nyay Yudh”.
Former Delhi ministers A K Walia, Haroon Yusuf, Narendra Nath and the coordinator of the Nyay Yudh agitation and former MLA, Mukesh Sharma, also addressed the gathering.
Despite heavy security arrangements at Gandhi Nagar and surrounding areas, over 30,000 people took part in rally, extending “open support” against “illegal sealing”.
Ajay Maken, throwing an open challenge to the BJP and the AAP on the issue of sealing, said both parties were responsible for it and people had been suffering because of their “anti-poor policies”.
Maken asked why the AAP government did not change the definition of household industries despite having agreed to do so in an all-party meeting.
He also said the Delhi government had miserably failed on all fronts due to its inaction and inefficiency, adding that it was creating new controversies to divert the attention of the people from its failures.
Maken added, “The illegal sealing is not a political issue for the Congress but an emotional issue because till now, over 8 lakh people have been rendered jobless. Both the BJP and the AAP were not interested in settling this issue.”
He said the AAP was “determined to seal the household industries to benefit some favoured people”.
He alleged, “Demonetisation was the biggest scam of the country, and due to the silent approval of Kejriwal, the sealing drive was also proving to be a big scam in Delhi.”
The party unanimously passed the three resolutions presented by Arvinder Singh Lovely against sealing with more than 30,000 people raising their hands in support.
The resolutions strongly condemned the BJP and AAP governments for the sealing of non-polluting household industries despite these industries having legal cover, and demanded from both the governments that on the basis of the legal cover given to the household industries in the Master Plan, the definition of household industries should be changed to make it from five employees to 11 employees, and from 5kv power to 11kv power.
The resolution also sought immediate implementation of this not only in Gandhi Nagar, but all over Delhi to save non-polluting household industries from sealing as also to save lakhs of people from unemployment.
Following the passing of the resolutions, those present shouted slogans against the BJP and the AAP.
Lovely said it was very strange that the household industries were being uprooted on such a large scale despite enjoying legal cover.
A K Walia and Haroon Yusuf said the Congress government had provided relief to 70 per cent industries by declaring their areas as industrial areas. They said there was a provision in the Master Plan that areas with 70 per cent industrial units can still be declared as industrial areas, but it was not being done deliberately.
Senior leader Mukesh Sharma said the “Nyay Yudh” would prove to be the “last nail on the coffin for the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party”. He said the Nyay Yudh agitation would be spread to all over Delhi, and the Congress party would soon announce second phase of the agitation.