AAP dares Manoj Tiwari for open debate on sealing issue

NEW DELHI : Aam Aadmi Party’s chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday dared BJP MP Manoj Tiwari for an open discussion on sealing.

Bharadwaj, the Greater Kailash MLA, said only the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruling the Centre can put an end to the “harassment faced by the traders” because of the sealing exercise that started 10 months ago.

“No matter how many publicity stunts the BJP MP indulges in, we know that the sealing crisis will be over only after the Centre brings in an ordinance or amends laws governing development in Delhi,” Bhardwaj said referring to the developments related to Tiwari breaking the lock of a house sealed by the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) in Gokulpur earlier this week.

The sealing drive, being carried out by the municipal corporations on the directions of the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee, has become a political issue as the 2019 Lok Sabha polls draw nearer. The SC issued a contempt notice on Tiwari for breaking the seal.

“We know the BJP is becoming hyperactive because the general elections are near. I invite Tiwariji for an open discussion on sealing. Let’s talk about solutions, Bharadwaj said.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party termed the breaking of the seal by Tiwari a ‘publicity stunt’ which, it said, would backfire in upcoming general elections.

Bharadwaj claimed he was sure that the BJP government at the centre would make efforts to end sealing drive which, according to him, has affected over 7 lakh traders across the Capital. But that, he said, will happen when the elections are close.

Delhi BJP vice-president Jai Parkash said AAP does not care about people. “The Delhi government removed 70 roads from the list of already notified 351 roads for mix land use. The AAP government is playing politics over the sealing. The BJP has done its bit by brining changes in master plan. It is now their turn to do their job,” Prakash said.