AAP like a vanar sena that will storm Modi’s Lanka: Manish Sisodia

New Delhi: Defending the absence of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal from the House, his deputy, Manish Sisodia, led a charge on the floor of the House against the Centre. He said the "substance" of the one-day session was to highlight the attack on democracy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—the one big challenge before Delhi and the country today.

Sisodia was reacting to BJP's attack over the absence of the CM, lack of clarity about the purpose of the special session, and no discussion of matters of public interest.

The minister compared the Modi regime to Ravana's Lanka and claimed AAP was the vanar sena that humbled Ravana. Sisodia warned BJP's Vijender Gupta that this vanar sena wouldn't spare anyone who tried to meddle with the democratic structure of the country as it was made of "brave common people who would give their lives for the right cause". The message of the session as clear: it was to bolster AAP's national agenda in the backdrop of the recent HC order that put the LG as the head of Delhi.

Sisodia spoke about the "alleged attempt to derail governance in Delhi by resorting to arbitrary transfers and various other measures with the intention to terrorise and demoralise well-meaning officers".

Gupta contested the AAP government's claims that it had been rendered helpless in matters of appointment of staff. "I would like to point out that there is a hierarchy of appointing authorities in Delhi which includes the LG, chief secretary and heads of departments. Each have their roles cut out. If there are about one lakh employees in the Delhi government, of this whole lot LG's approval is required for just about 100-odd officers. So how can the government show itself to be a victim?" Gupta questioned.

He also criticised the government's attempt to appoint a chief engineer as PWD secretary and an IRS officer as principal secretary of health. "It seems only officers of their choice can do the work. An officer is only an administrative head and the vision is that of the minister," Gupta said.

To this, Sisodia said after the August 4 HC order and after the LG set up a panel to review 400-odd files, officials were unwilling to work. "I am telling the House how difficult it was for me to get my officials to sign the petition this government filed in Supreme Court," Sisodia said.

He then blamed the LG, PM and the Centre of trying to stop the AAP government's good work in Delhi, especially in health and education.

Home minister Satyendar Jain also joined in. "The officers are all busy sending files to the LG. The mohalla clinic project is getting severely impacted," he said.