BJP workers join strike by sanitation workers

New Delhi, Jan 30: Hundreds of BJP workers today joined the strike by sanitation workers of municipal corporations even as the Delhi Government formed a Task Force to lift garbage across the national capital.

PWD Minister Satyendar Jain, who has formed task force in every district, has directed his department to clear out garbage as the strike entered the fourth day.

A senior government official said Cabinet ministers and AAP MLAs will also join the cleanliness drive from tomorrow in their respective constituencies.

In the morning, scores of sanitation workers dumped garbage outside the residence of Delhi Assembly Speaker Ramniwas Goel. Yesterday, a group of workers and municipal corporation employees had staged a protest outside Transport Minister Gopal Rai's office in Babarpur in east Delhi.

Sanjay Gehlot, president of Swatantra Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha, demanded that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal pay salaries first and "later settle scores with the municipal corporations." He threatened that the protests will be stepped up if their demand is not met immediately.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has accused BJP leaders of the three municipal corporations of "instigating" the workers to throw garbage outside the ministers' residences and offices. Demanding regular salaries, payment of long pending arrears, regularisation of contract-based workers, health cards and unification of three municipal corporations, the workers launched the strike on January 27.

PTI