Kejriwal's dharna at LG office continues for sixth day

The sit-in by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his three cabinet colleagues today entered its sixth day as the impasse between the AAP dispensation and the Lt Governor over IAS officers' "strike" continued.

Health minister Satyendar Jain and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who along with Kejriwal and Development Minister Gopal Rai have stayed put at L-G office since Monday evening, have been sitting on hunger strike since Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

Yesterday, Kejriwal asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to work with his officers not attending his meetings. He had challenged the prime minister on the issue of alleged "strike" by IAS workers and challenged him to work without the officers attending his meetings.

"How do we work like this? Can Modi ji try working like this even for a day? Can our critics kindly tell us how do we function like this? (sic)," Kejriwal had tweeted after Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain alleged that environment secretary did not attend a meeting on pollution.

In his letter to Modi yesterday, Kejriwal urged him to end IAS officers' strike so that he can attend a meeting of NITI Aayog on Sunday.

Kejriwal along with his ministers is demanding that he (PM) direct IAS officers to end their "strike" and approve doorstep ration delivery scheme.

However, the IAS officers' association has maintained that no officer is on "strike". Also, Sisodia yesterday released a video warning that if they are forcibly removed from the L-G Secretariat, they will stop drinking water too.

Sources said that the L-G, who has been working from his residence after the sit-in by AAP ministers, has constituted three teams of doctors to examine the health of ministers.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court yesterday agreed to hear on June 18 a plea seeking direction to the L-G to ensure that the alleged 'informal strike' by IAS officers of Delhi was called off and they perform their duties as public servants.

The petition comes in the backdrop of another plea filed on Thursday in the court seeking that the sit-in by Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues at the LG office against the "strike" by the IAS officers be declared unconstitutional and illegal. This plea against Kejriwal's sit-in was also listed for hearing for June 18.

PTI