AAP, Delhi LG offices become venue for protests by BJP and AAP

Congress workers organised candle marches across the city to protest the deaths of the three students

Two days after three students at an IAS coaching institute in Old Rajendra Nagar drowned in the basement of the institute, the BJP on Monday blamed the AAP for the tragedy, holding protests and demanding accountability for the incident. In response, the AAP held a protest of its own, demanding that lieutenant governor VK Saxena suspend MCD commissioner Ashwani Kumar — a bureaucrat who reports to the central government.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva leads a protest outside the Aam Aadmi Party office in New Delhi on Monday. (Ajay Aggarwal/HT Photo)

At around 11am, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva led a group of party workers to protest outside the AAP office near ITO, and demanded that chief minister Arvind Kejriwal resign over the “criminal negligence of the Delhi Jal Board, fire services, and AAP-led MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi)”.

“The AAP is responsible for the murder of three innocents... Both the MLA and the municipal councillor of Rajendra Nagar are from AAP, so if the AAP is not responsible for this entire incident, then who is? AAP leaders are trying to put the blame on officials for their mistakes… Any department of the DJB, DFS, MCD or government machinery that is guilty of this incident should face strict action,” said Sachdeva.

“The AAP government should take the responsibility of the negligence and CM Arvind Kejriwal should resign,” he added.

A few hours later, at about 1pm, AAP workers staged a protest outside the LG’s office, demanding that Saxena suspend MCD’s Kumar over the incident.

“The LG has himself admitted that no work was done on drainage for 10-15 years. AAP came to power in MCD a year ago. BJP remained in MCD for 15 years and ruined the whole of Delhi by not fixing drainage,” AAP MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak said.

“Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj instructed the chief secretary and officials to ensure the desilting of drains five times, from February to June. But the officials working under the LG did not take any move. As a result, the Old Rajendra Nagar incident occurred,” AAP MLA Dilip Pandey said.

“We have come to request the LG to take action against the incompetent officials, who are not working despite the minister’s order and do not understand the principle of accountability in democracy. And send a stern message by taking action against such officers to stop such incidents from taking place in future,” Pandey added.

The LG did not respond to the AAP allegations.

Meanwhile, Congress workers organised candle marches across the city to protest the deaths of the three students.

Delhi Congress president Devendra Yadav demanded a compensation of ₹1 crore to the families of each of the three students. “Strict action should be taken against the officers by fixing their responsibility for the criminal negligence... Delhi minister Atishi and the mayor Shelly Oberoi should resign,” said Yadav.

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