AAP takes on Hardeep Singh Puri over sealing, says will open all shops if it wins

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, on Wednesday said the Centre and the civic bodies had nothing to do with the sealing drive as it was done on the instructions of a Supreme Court-appointed panel.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday said it would de-seal all commercial establishments in the Delhi if the party was voted to power in all seven seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Brijesh Goyal, AAP candidate from the New Delhi parliamentary seat, on Thursday said nearly 20,000 properties were affected by the sealing drive that began in 2017. (HT Photo)

Brijesh Goyal, AAP candidate from the New Delhi parliamentary seat, on Thursday said nearly 20,000 properties were affected by the sealing drive that began in 2017.

“De-sealing properties and putting a stop to the drive is one of the main agendas of AAP. We are going to promise traders and shop owners in AAP’s manifesto that all sealed shops will be opened once the party comes to power,” said Brijesh Goyal, who is also the convener of AAP’s trade and industry wing in the capital.

Rebutting claims of Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who on Wednesday said the Centre and the civic bodies had nothing to do with the sealing drive as it was done on the instructions of a Supreme Court-appointed panel, he said if the government had the intention, they could have brought an ordinance to stop the drive.

Goyal said he personally met Puri with other traders and the minister had promised to resolve the issue of sealing in a week, “but he did not do anything”.

On Wednesday, the union minister had alleged AAP was seeking votes from Delhiites by spreading “lies” on several issues and said a party that does not have the expertise of running an administration nor dedication towards works was resorting to lies.

“Every citizen knows that the sealing drive had been carried out following the direction of the Supreme Court-appointed Bhure Lal committee, and neither the Centre nor any civic body had anything to do with it,” Puri had said in a series of tweets in Hindi.

The Aam Aadmi Party ’s East Delhi candidate Atishi also hit back, saying even children in Delhi know that if the minister wanted, he could have stopped sealing in Delhi within two minutes by bringing in an ordinance but he did not want to do it.