Kejri's sit-in enters day 3; BJP launches counter protest
The aam janata and their woes have taken a back-seat, as the sit-in protest by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy, Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendar Jain and Labour Minister Gopal Rai at Raj Niwas, the office-cum-residence of the lieutenant governor Anil Baijal entered its second day on Wednesday. Jain started a hunger strike on Tuesday evening, while Sisodia has gone on an indefinite huger strike from Wednesday.
The four AAP leaders have been sitting on protest at the LG's residence from Monday evening to press for their three demands, including a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike", and plan on staying put "until the demands are met".
In an interview to NDTV, Kejriwal laughed and called it "The most comfortable dharna I have been on. At least Baijal Saab is providing us water from the Raj Niwas. I and my colleagues are clearing our files from here. But I reiterate that we will not leave till this embargo they have put on the executive is lifted. I owe my Delhi this."
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Wednesday launched a counter-protest at the waiting room of the CM’s office. West Delhi MP Parvesh Singh Sahib Verma, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and party leader Vijender Gupta, MLAs Jagadish Pradhan, Manjinder Sirsa and suspended AAP MLA Kapil Mishra launched a sit-in, while Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari led hundreds of BJP workers in a march from ITO in central Delhi to the towards the CM’s office in the secretariat, raising slogans like ‘Kejriwal drama band karo. (Kejriwal stop doing drama)’.
"He is betraying the people of Delhi. He betrayed them in 2014, then in 2015 and now again he is betraying them on all the promises he made to the people of the city," Tiwari said.