The Aam Aadmi Party has claimed that what Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor had said about the drain in Mayur Bihar Phase 3, where a mother-son died, was not true, and it has been proved that it belonged to the Delhi Development Authority,(DDA) and the high officer should apologize.

AAP’s national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar on Saturday accused the L-G for allegedly lying about the jurisdiction of the drain, and shielding the officials of the agency under him over their negligence.

“When he fails, he shifts blame on to the AAP,” Kakkar said, intensifying the party’s demand for accountability and justice.

According to Kakkar, “When the matter eventually reached the High Court, then it became clear that the drain belongs to the DDA. The High Court strongly reprimanded the DDA officials, asking why there were no signboards, barricades, or warnings indicating that work was ongoing in such a 15-foot deep drain. The court questioned why there were no safety measures, even when a red alert had been issued on July 31st, a day before the accident.”

Priyanak Kakkar further said: “Two days ago, the High Court finally declared compensation for the bereaved family and ordered the DDA to pay.”

“Now that it has been proved that this drain belongs to DDA, the L-G should apologize for making false allegations against the AAP and should resign from his post with immediate effect for his failure,” Kakkar added.

Kakkar further said, “A very tragic incident occurred in Mayur Vihar Phase 3, near a large drain in Ghazipur. The drain, 15 feet deep, was under the jurisdiction of the DDA, which was carrying out construction in the area.

A 2.5-year-old child fell into the drain, and his 23-year-old mother, in an attempt to save him, also jumped in, unfortunately, both lost their lives, she added.

“Our local MLA, Kuldeep Kumar, immediately rushed to the site upon receiving the news, called for a JCB, and had both bodies extracted,” the AAP leader said.

“MLA Kuldeep Kumar did everything within his capacity to help the bereaved family. He did not engage in any dirty politics, nor did he think about whether the drain was under DDA’s jurisdiction. He did everything possible for the affected family,” Kakkar said.

The AAP spokesperson said that it was on August 1, when no compensation was declared by LG Vinai Kumar Saxena, and he did not visit the accident site, AAP RS MP Sanjay Singh held a press conference, repeatedly questioning whether it was appropriate for the L-G to continue in his constitutional position if he couldn’t stand with the people of Delhi during such tragic times, especially for an incident that occurred within DDA’s jurisdiction, which comes under him.

Kakkar has claimed that on August 2, the L-G remained silent on the issue, and AAP MLA Dilip Pandey had written to him, questioning why no action had been taken against the negligent officials in this regard, however, the high officer did not respond, she added.