After high drama in Delhi’s high-security zone since Monday morning, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday night called off his dharna following an appeal from the Lt Governor of Delhi, Najeeb Jung.
Kejriwal, who spent the night sleeping on the streets with his supporters, settled for partial acceptance of his demands – two “erring’ police officers will be sent on leave, instead of his demand for suspension of five.
He said it was the first time in history that a Chief Minister and his Cabinet had to sit on dharna to get their demands met, adding that these demands were part of his poll promise to get statehood for Delhi and ensure security for women.
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal lashed out at Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and had ruled out any negotiations, even if it meant disrupting the Republic Day celebrations.
The Delhi Police falls under the Home Ministry and Kejriwal had been demanding suspension of police officers who defied raiding an alleged drug and prostitution ring on the orders of the Law Minister, as well as the PCR van in-charge of the area where a Danish women was gang-raped last week.
Through the day, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Cabinet faced flak from political parties, a section of the media as well as some of his own partymen, such as Capt Gopinath, for “running the government from the streets”.
Working people who had to bear the brunt of four Metro stations being closed, blocked roads and traffic jams, too, were heard venting ire at the ‘anarchy’ and chaos.
Gopinath, the pioneer of a low-cost airline, said in Bangalore that while he supported the protest, Kejriwal and his Cabinet should work and only party workers must protest.
“AAP as a political party can and must protest. Not the Chief Minister. He and his cabinet must govern from their office,” he said.
Earlier, incidents of skirmishes and stone-pelting followed by lathi-charge were reported, leaving some mediapersons and AAP volunteers injured.
BJP, Cong lash out While officially Congress, which is supporting the Delhi government, seemed angry with AAP’s ‘anarchy’ and said it would decide on support at an “appropriate” time, a senior party leader, on condition of anonymity, said the Congress would not rush to withdraw support, saying, “We will not ally with Kejriwal both to become Chief Minister as well as a martyr.”
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley lashed out AAP leaders saying they “lacked civility”.