NEW DELHI: AAP MLAs Somnath Bharti and S K Bagga, who were “seeking an appointment” to meet the Lt Governor today, were allegedly removed by police from the LG office where they had gone to attend a DDA meeting.
Both Bharti and Bagga, members of Delhi Development Authority (DDA), after the meeting stayed back at LG office and sought an appointment to meet LG Anil Baijal, Bharti said.
However, the Raj Niwas in a statement claimed, “after the meeting ended, MLAs Somnath Bharti and S K Bagga, who came to attend the meeting, refused to leave the residential premises of the Lt Governor, on the pretext of joining the ‘dharna’ of the Chief Minister.”
The two MLAs were “repeatedly requested” to end their “unauthorized occupation” of the residential premises of the Lt Governor, the statement from the Raj Niwas said.
“However, they refused to leave and continued with their unauthorized occupation for about two hours and left only after considerable persuasion,” it added.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who himself is sitting on an indefinite dharna at LG office since June 11, termed the incident bizarre and said that it is constitutional duty of the LG to meet the elected representatives.
“Two MLAs evicted forcefully using police by LG? Just becoz they wanted to meet him? What is this going on? Why is LG refusing to meet MLAs, MPs, ministers, CM? Does LG know that he has a constitutional duty to meet them? He has no choice but to meet them? This is bizarre,” he tweeted.
Bharti alleged that he was “ousted” from LG office by a heavy police force.
“Ashamed that Honorable LG in place of hearing us out for 2 min used heavy police led by ACP Sri Tyagi to oust us from LG House. Possibly the most potent democratic tool namely dialogue has no place in the Modi era,” he tweeted.
Bharti said that along with Bagga, AAP’s Krishna Nagar MLA, he was waiting in the conference room of LG office after furnishing a letter seeking appointment with Baijal.
He said that he wanted to meet the LG for the “deadlock” in Delhi but was asked to move out and later “ousted” with the help of police.
However, a senior police officer said that Bharti and Bagga did not have an appointment to meet Baijal and were asked to leave.
“We checked with the control room of the LG office whether the MLAs had any appointment with the LG but they said that there was no meeting fixed. The MLAs were asked to leave and no police force used to oust them,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Raj Niwas in a statement said, Lt Governor Anil Baijal chaired the DDA meeting to consider the public suggestions and comments which were sought on the issue of the proposed amendments in the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2021.
The amendments in development control norms for shop-cum-residential plots and redevelopment of godowns clusters existing in non-conforming areas, seeks to provide relief to traders from the ongoing sealing drive.
“This was an important meeting in the interest of people and development of Delhi, and was convened after following due procedure prescribed for such amendments in MPD-2021,” the statement said.
The DDA has received over 800 suggestions and objections from the public on the proposed modifications in the MPD-2021 over a period of 15 days, since May 26.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had invited feedback from people following a directive from the Supreme Court.
Kejriwal, along with his colleagues, have been at Lieutenant Governor Baijal’s office since June 11, demanding a direction to IAS officers to end what the AAP describes a “strike” and approval of the doorstep ration delivery scheme. PTI
