Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal threatens to sit in on strike again

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday called out PM Modi saying that it was a two-minute job for him to solve the sealing crisis in Delhi. 

He reiterated that if there was no solution for the sealing issue till 31 March, he would sit on a hunger strike in support of city traders. 

“I wrote to PM Modi seeking time on sealing issue but he never responded, it is a two-minute job for him to solve this crises", Kejriwal said in assembly on the first day of the budget session. “If sealing is not stopped by March 31st, we will sit on strike with the traders,” he added.

Kejriwal, last week,  wrote to the prime minister and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, seeking time for a meeting to resolve the sealing issue.

In the letter, Kejriwal mentioned that "the reasons behind the sealing are anomalies in the law and it is the Centre's responsibility to remove the anomalies."

He stressed over the depleting condition of traders in the state, adding that they are on the verge of starvation and unemployment will impact law and order.  

"A Bill has to be brought in Parliament to remove anomalies in the law and save traders from unemployment," he said.

Meanwhile, addressing traders in Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar, Kejriwal attacked the centre, saying that when it can support an ordinance on Jallikattu, why cannot it bring the ordinance on sealing to give a relief to traders from the drive.

“You (Centre) bring an ordinance on small-small things. When you (Centre) can bring an ordinance on Jallikattu, but why cannot you bring the ordinance to give relief to traders of Delhi from the sealing drive? “We don’t have any objection with it (Jallikattu)...I request the Centre to do whatever it can do to stop the sealing,” the chief minister said.

About 2,490 properties were sealed in the national capital by the four local bodies since December for violation of Delhi's Master Plan 2021, the parliament was informed on Thursday.

Kejriwal said that in next two-three days, the government will submit a survey report on 351 roads, submitted by municipal corporations, to the Supreme Court and once the city administration gets nod, it would issue a notification to ensure that there is no sealing on these roads in future.