Kejriwal gives up protest after L-G relents.

Delhi deadlock; CM leaves Raj Niwas after 8-day sit-in; officers return to work

Decision to leave taken within hours after Lt Governor wrote to Kejriwal

Agency Report | New Delhi | 19 June, 2018 | 11:10 PM

After 8 days of a sit-in protest in Lieutenant Governor's waiting room, Arvind Kejriwal left the Raj Niwas this evening. The decision to end the unprecedented deadlock in Delhi -- which saw almost the entire opposition siding with the Chief Minister -- ended after Anil Baijal asked him to urgently meet the IAS officers at the Delhi Secretariat to resolve their differences. The IAS officers have started attending meetings with ministers, three such meetings have taken place. This morning, the Chief Minister had made yet another appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a resolution.

An unprecedented political deadlock in Delhi ended on Tuesday as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ended his nine-day-long sit-in at the Raj Niwas after IAS officials he alleged were on strike resumed attending his government’s meetings.

Kejriwal and his cabinet colleague Gopal Rai left the waiting area where they had been camping since June 11 as part of a novel protest that elicited support from several political parties including BJP allies Shiv Sena and Janata Dal-United.

On reaching home, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader told party activists to keep agitating for full statehood for Delhi, the lack of which he underlined was the root cause of problems related to governance in the national capital.

He was greeted at his home by boisterous slogan chanting by party members. “We will continue the struggle until Delhi becomes a full state,” Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal walked out of Baijal’s office-cum-residence after IAS officers resumed attending the meetings called by the Delhi government.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the IAS officers attended the meetings on Tuesday called by Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, Social Welfare Minister Rajinder Pal Gautam and Food Minister Imran Hussain.

The officers were also responding to telephone calls from Ministers and Sisodia said he too spoke to a number of officers.

“All the senior officers including the Chief Secretary were present at meetings called by ministers on Tuesday,” Sisodia told the media.

Lt. Governor Baijal wrote to Kejriwal appreciating his assurance to officers about their security.

“The LG requested the Chief Minister to urgently meet the officers in the Secretariat so that apprehensions and concerns of both sides can be suitably addressed through dialogue in the best interest of the people of Delhi,” said a Raj Niwas statement.

The decision to leave Raj Niwas was taken within a few hours after the Lt Governor wrote to Kejriwal.

The AAP was also demanding that the Centre approve the Delhi government’s policy to supply ration to the poor at their houses.

Sisodia said: “When the LG has not responded on the issue in past nine days, there is no point in waiting more.”

Kejriwal and three of his ministers started camping in the Raj Niwas on June 11 demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their undeclared strike and the Centre to approve the Delhi government’s ration proposal.

Two Ministers — Sisodia and Satyendar Jain — who were on indefinite hunger strike were shifted to hospital after their health deteriorated. Kejriwal and Cabinet Minister Gopal Rai continued the protest.

Earlier on Tuesday, Kejriwal wrote a strongly-worded open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing him of trying to stifle the AAP government in Delhi by covertly backing the officers’ “strike”.

Also, the Supreme Court declined to hold an urgent hearing of a PIL seeking direction to the Delhi High Court to expeditiously hear a plea for declaring the protest by Kejriwal and others as unconstitutional and illegal.
Earlier, IAS officers had said they were waiting for a formal communication from Arvind Kejriwal on his assurances of providing security to them while the AAP leader said he was waiting for Lt. Governor Anil Baijal’s nod.

Reiterating that they were not on strike, the IAS AGMUT (Arunachal, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) Association tweeted that they were ready for a meeting in the Delhi Secretariat.

“In the context of the Chief Minister’s assurance, we await a formal communication for a meeting with him in the Delhi Secretariat. We reiterate that we continue to be at work,” the association said.

In response, Kejriwal tweeted: “We wrote a letter to the LG on Tuesday seeking a meeting of all stakeholders. We are awaiting for a response from the LG.”

He said Baijal was waiting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “green signal” vis-a-vis the meeting.

“The LG awaiting green signal from PM, who has to take the decision. Whole Delhi waiting for PM to decide fast,” Kejriwal added.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday wrote to Baijal urging him to “end the IAS officer’s strike” and attend a meeting between Kejriwal and bureaucrats serving in Delhi.

In the letter, Sisodia said: “Since security and service come under you, we want this meeting is held in your presence so that we can assure the officers everything within our power, and you, within your powers.

“Delhi’s IAS officers have been on a strike since the past three months. But today (on Tuesday), the officers have agreed to meet Kejriwal. They want to talk about their safety and security and we want the best security measures for our officers.

“We want this issue to be resolved as soon as possible so that work for Delhi people resumes,” he added.

On Monday, the IAS officers in Delhi said they were open to formal discussions to end the impasse in Delhi, a day after Kejriwal assured them their safety and dignity.

On Sunday, Kejriwal said: “I wish to assure them that I will ensure their safety and security with all my powers and resources available at my command. I have given similar assurances earlier also to many officers who have been meeting me privately. I reiterate it.”
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs Somnath Bharti and S.K. Bagga were forced out of Lt. Governor (LG) Anil Baijal’s house after they refused to leave following a meeting.

Baijal was chairing a Delhi Development Authority meeting at the Raj Niwas — his residence-cum-office — to consider the public’s suggestions and comments on the Master Plan for Delhi 2021.

“However, after the meeting ended, the two MLAs refused to leave the residential premises of the Lt. Governor on the pretext of joining the ‘dharna’ of the Chief Minister,” the Raj Niwas said in a statement.

“The MLAs were repeatedly requested to end their unauthorised occupation… They refused to leave for about two hours and left only after considerable persuasion,” it added.

However, Bharti accused the LG of ousting them from the Raj Niwas premises.

“Ashamed that the LG in place of hearing us out for two minutes used heavy police led by ACP Sri Tyagi to oust us…,” he tweeted.

“Possibly the most potent democratic tool namely dialogue has no place in the Modi era.” (IANS)