After his combative speech in the Delhi Assembly demanding full statehood status to the national Capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues met the lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Monday evening at Raj Niwas.
Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues decided to stay put at Raj Niwas indefinitely, till their three demands were accepted, including a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike" and action against officers who have struck work for "four months".
Kejriwal along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyender Jain and labour Minister Gopal Rai met lieutenant Governor Anil Biajal and requested him to end up the strike of Delhi employees and senior bureaucrats.
When asked about it, Sisodia said, "We are here to request the lG to summon senior bureaucrats and reprimand them for their non-cooperation and stubborn behaviour. We want it to end so that people of Delhi are not made to suffer and all their works are done".
Kejriwal tweeted at 6 pm from the waiting room of the lG office that a letter was handed over to Baijal but he refused to take action. "Handed him this letter. lG refuses to take action. lG is under constitutional duty to act. left wid no option, we have politely told lG that we will not leave till he acts on all points. We hv come out of his chamber n sitting in his waiting room (sic)," he tweeted.
After meeting the l-G, Kejriwal further tweeted: met l-G with following demands- IAS officers on strike in Del for 4 months. Direct them to return to work. Punish those IAS who struck work for last 4 months. Approve doorstep delivery of rations.
He also asked the l-G to approve his Government's proposal on doorstep delivery of rations scheme.
"In the history of independent India, this is the first time that IAS officers on strike for four months. WhyIJ" he questioned.
He also asserted that the scheme on doorstep deliver of rations should be implemented as it will help people and remove corruption. "We have been urging the Hon'ble l-G for last many months but he refused," he said.
The AAP dispensation claimed that several efforts were made to end the "strike" by IAS officers due to which Government work has been suffering in past four months.
Sisodia said that he met and wrote to the l-G five times about the strike but he did "nothing" to end it. "How can elected govt work, if Hon lG supports IAS officers strike like this," he tweeted from Raj Niwas.
Marking lG chhodo with hashtag twitter, the official page of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tweeted, "I have met and written to Hon lG five times - how IAS officers are on unlawful strike since last 3 months. He has done nothing to end the strike so far. How can elected govt work, if Hon lG supports IAS officers strike like this. - Sisodia."
It may be noted that AAP Government and the bureaucracy have been at loggerheads since the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by AAP MlAs at Kejriwal's residence on the intervening night of February 19-20.