Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj with other MLAs holds a foot of BJP MLA Vijender Gupta, asking his support for the reinstatement of bus marshals, in New Delhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, accompanied by BJP MLAs, on Saturday met Lt Governor VK Saxena and submitted a cabinet note to reinstate the bus marshals but it turned out to be a brief moment of thaw as AAP leaders soon accused the BJP of "betrayal" on the issue.
In a dramatic sequence of events, Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj laid at BJP MLA Vijender Gupta's feet, requesting him to accompany AAP leaders to the L-G's residence to seek Saxena's approval on the reinstatement of bus marshals, while the chief minister left her car and sat in the BJP leader's car.
After the MLAs of both parties reached Saxena's house, AAP leaders accused the BJP MLAs of not asking him to sign the cabinet note, and held a protest outside the L-G's house. They were subsequently detained by the police.
The chief minister was inside the LG residence when the protest happened.
Atishi lashed out at the BJP after meeting with the LG, saying the party has "betrayed" the bus marshals.
"Firstly, the BJP MLAs were not ready to come to meet the LG, but we managed to get them with us somehow. But even after coming here, they have not asked the LG to sign the cabinet note even a single time," she said.
This is a complete betrayal by the BJP, and now the onus is on them to reinstate the bus marshals, Atishi added.
Police detained the AAP ministers and MLAs who held a protest outside the LG House, citing that they did not have any permission for it.
AAP minister Bhardwaj, who was also detained, said: "BJP-LG have betrayed 10,000 bus marshals. BJP MLAs said that if you pass the cabinet note, they will get the bus marshals reinstated from LG."
"But LG Sahab has not signed the cabinet note, he will be cursed by 10,000 bus marshals, he added.
Over 10,000 civil defence volunteers deployed as marshals in public transport buses were removed last year after an objection was raised by the directorate of civil defence that they were meant for disaster management duties.
Earlier in the day, the BJP MLAs met the Delhi chief minister over the issue of reinstatement of the marshals.
The chief minister said the cabinet will meet immediately to pass a note on reinstating the bus marshals and appealed to the BJP MLAs to join a delegation to take the note to the LG for his approval.
AAP leaders claimed that the BJP MLAs refused to go to the LG office after the cabinet passed the note and tried to leave the meeting.