Delhi Government Pushes for Immediate Reinstatement of Bus Marshals with Cabinet Note

The Delhi government led by Atishi Marlena has passed a cabinet note on the appointment of bus marshals. The note demands immediate reinstatement of the marshals. The note will be sent to the Lieutenant Governor today itself. A war of words is being witnessed between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday on the issue of reinstatement of bus marshals. Delhi minister Saurabh Bhardwaj targeted the BJP for going back on its word on the reinstatement of former bus marshals in the national capital.

Saurabh Bhardwaj said, "Not a single BJP MLA came to meet the Lieutenant Governor, neither did the Lieutenant Governor give time to meet nor did the BJP MLAs come forward to save the jobs of the marshals." On the first day of the recently concluded two-day session of the Delhi Assembly on September 26, there was a heated debate between the AAP and the opposition on the issue of termination of service of bus marshals, in which both sides ultimately expressed support for the proposal to reinstate their jobs.

The assembly passed a resolution that both AAP and BJP MLAs will meet Lt Governor V.K. Saxena on October 3 at 11 am and will not return till the reinstatement of marshals is ensured. No such meeting took place, however. Targeting Lt Governor Bhardwaj, Bhardwaj asked, "Does this kind of dictatorship happen in any other state, where the governor does not have time to meet ministers and when they go to meet the governor they are beaten up by the police?"

On the other hand, the Leader of the Opposition Vijender Gupta said that the BJP MLAs will meet the Chief Minister on October 5 and request him to prepare a cabinet note and get it approved by the Cabinet. He said, "We will also request the Chief Minister to make provision for reservation for OBC, SC, ST and EWS in the appointment of bus marshals."

Earlier, former bus marshals protested near the residence of the Lieutenant Governor demanding the restoration of their jobs. Delhi ministers Saurabh Bhardwaj, Imran Hussain and Mukesh Ahlawat along with other MLAs of the party also participated in the protest. The police detained some protesters along with Bhardwaj and other AAP leaders, arguing that permission for the protest was not take