NEW DELHI, JANUARY 20 (TNN): Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues on Monday started a dharna outside Rail Bhavan here after they were prevented from reaching the Union home ministry office for a planned protest.
The AAP government is demanding action against police officials who refused to carry out a raid on an alleged drug and prostitution racket in South Delhi last week. Raising the pitch against the Union home ministry, Kejriwal urged everyone to join the protest. “I urge everyone to join this protest to make Delhi a safe city,” Kejriwal said from a makeshift podium using a public address system.
The Delhi chief minister went a step further and appealed to honest cops to take leave and join his protest. Defending his decision to go ahead with the protest, Kejriwal said, “Any constitutional crisis or disturbance in R-day celebrations will be the responsibility of Centre.” Kejriwal said he had come prepared for ten days of dharna.
Rejecting home minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s statement that action can be taken only after an inquiry, the chief minister demanded immediate suspension of the “corrupt” officials who refused to act in the interest of the public whose cause law minister Somnath Bharti had taken up.
The law minister had created a controversy last week when he went to a locality in his constituency of Malvya Nagar, claiming a drug and prostitution ring was being run from a residence and demanded police raid the place.
However, the police refused saying they have no warrant to do so. The AAP workers allegedly forced a couple of women from Uganda to give urine samples. Their action came under all-round attack but the AAP government insists that action should be taken against the police officials.
Strongly defending his law minister Somnath Bharti, Kejriwal showed a letter which he said was written by a woman from Ugandan embassy and supported Bharti’s action against some woman of their country.
Kejrwal accused the cops of collecting money from the people of Delhi and passing it on to their seniors and even the Union home minister. He launched a scathing attack on Delhi Police and rejected the probe ordered by the LG. “None of my ministers will participate in the probe. We will also urge the people of Khirki Extension, where Somnath Bharti led a midnight raid, to stay away from the probe,” Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal also blamed a section of the media, Congress and BJP for describing actions of AAP leaders as “vigilantism”. He also referred to the allegation made by former Union home secretary RK Singh against Sushilkumar Shinde that he was involved in transfer of SHOs in Delhi Police.
“It creates doubt that money has changed hands (for the purpose),” said Kejriwal. Referring to the criticism from his political opponents, Kejriwal accepted that he was an anarchist.
“Some say I am an anarchist. Yes, I am. There is lawlessness in every home in the city. Today, I’ll spread disorder in the HM’s house,” Kejriwal said.
Earlier, the day began with Kejriwal and his ministers meeting at the Delhi secretariat from where they left for North Block, ignoring the prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code, that bars any gathering of five or more people. The convoy of Kejriwal and his ministers was stopped near the Rail Bhavan by the cops. Police officials tried to persuade the chief minister not to proceed ahead, but Kejriwal refused to listen.
The Aam Aadmi Party has alleged that policemen did not cooperate with Somnath Bharti during his vigilante-style raid on Wednesday night and on minister Rakhi Birla’s complaint concerning “improper action” in a dowry case.
According to TV reports, all roads leading to the home ministry have been blocked. Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde ruled out any action against the Delhi cops till the probe was over.
Delhi LG has ordered a judicial probe into the charges against the cops. The Delhi CM should be patient and wait for the probe result, Shinde said. The Congress and the BJP have strongly opposed the CM’s dharna. However, the Congress has made it clear that it will not withdraw support from the government.
