The Delhi Assembly on Thursday witnessed  a heated discussion between the ruling AAP and the opposition on the first day of a two-day session over the termination of around 10,000 bus marshals, with both sides finally supporting a resolution to restore their jobs.

Participating the short duration discussion on the regularization of DTC bus marshals, AAP MLAs Kuldeep Kumar, Rohit Kumar and Abdul Rehman hit out at Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena and the BJP holding them responsible for the bus marshals losing their jobs and their plight due to a non-payment of salaries.

AAP MLAs, including Madan Lal and Jarnail Singh, accused a BJP MLA of uttering objectionable words against the bus marshals and calling them "rapists". They claimed that these civic defence workers belonged to the poor families and they not only provided safety and security to the women and children in DTC and cluster buses but also did the same for the families.

The BJP MLAs opposed the charge and accused the AAP of doing politics on the issue. Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta alleged that the AAP government had betrayed the bus marshals. He claimed that in a letter to the LG on October 11, 2023, then chief minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote that "the correct legal position may be ascertained and till its determined, services of all civil defence volunteers may be terminated by October". Gupta also proposed that a resolution be passed in the House to restore the jobs of the bus marshals and provide them with "permanent" employment.

In his reply to the discussion, minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said the lives of 10,000 bus marshals have been ruined as they have not been paid their salaries. They are unable to meet their basic needs, the minister added. He alleged that since Saxena took over as the LG, it has become a "pattern" that officers will find some fault or the other with a scheme that is to be stalled.

"The salaries of 10,000 bus marshals were stopped in January 2023 because of officers in the transport department who questioned the deployment of civil defence bus marshals because public transport buses had CCTV cameras for the purpose of security," Bharadwaj claimed.

This observation by the officers was opposed by Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot and Revenue Minister Atishi, he said. Atishi has since been sworn in as the chief minister after Kejriwal stepped down.Bharadwaj said in his letter, Kejriwal had also sought disciplinary action against the officers responsible for stopping the bus marshals' salaries.

"If the BJP is ready, we are ready to restore their jobs. A resolution can be passed by the House," he said and added that a resolution already passed on the issue on February 29 can be passed again. Bharadwaj also suggested that the resolution should have a paragraph that both the AAP and BJP MLAs will go to meet the LG at 11 am on October 3 (the first day of Navratri) and not return back till the implementation of the resolution is ensured.

Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel put the resolution to vote and it was passed by a voice vote. However, Goel said the leader of opposition was backing out from the proposal to go to the LG's office for its implementation.