We have no option but to sit on 'dharna': Arvind Kejriwal from L-G's office

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said Lt Governor Anil Baijal was paying no heed to their demands, including a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike", leaving him and his ministers with no option but to stage a sit-in at the L-G's office.

In a video statement released from the L-G's office, Kejriwal said he and his ministers were sitting on 'dharna' so Delhiites could get facilities and the government could do its work.

Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, ministers Gopal Rai and Satyendar Jain have been at the L-G's office since last evening to press for their demands, including a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike" and action against those who have struck work for "four months".


They have also asked the L-G to approve the proposal for doorstep delivery of rations.

According to the AAP government, officers have not been attending meetings with ministers or picking up their calls.

Officers have been on "partial strike" since the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash on the intervening night of February 19-20, it said.

Kejriwal said in his video message that they have been requesting the L-G since February 23 to issue directions to IAS officers to end their "strike", but Baijal was paying no heed to them.

The chief minister said he, Sisodia and other AAP ministers had met Baijal in the past and even wrote letters.

"Yesterday, we met him again and told him that we will go from here (L-G office) only after getting our demands fulfilled," Kejriwal said.

He said work such as setting up of mohalla clinics, construction of drains in unauthorised colonies and the release of funds to private schools under the EWS category was affected due to the officers' strike.

"We are not sitting here for ourselves. We are sitting here for you (Delhiites) and for schools, water, mohalla clinics so that the people of Delhi can get facilities," the AAP chief said.

He alleged that some officers had told him that the strike was being orchestrated by the L-G's office.

The officers' association has claimed that no officer is on strike and no work has been affected.

The L-G office slammed Kejriwal's sit-in, saying it is another protest in the sequence of "dharna without reason".