‘AAP MLAs ousted from L-G office’

New Delhi: AAP MLAs Somnath Bharti and S.K. Bagga, who were “seeking an appointment” to meet the lieutenant-governor, were on Tuesday allegedly removed by the police from the L-G office where they had gone to attend a DDA meeting.

Both Mr Bharti and Mr Bagga, members of DDA, after the meeting stayed back at L-G office and sought an appointment to meet L-G Anil Baijal, Mr Bharti said.

However, the Raj Niwas in a statement claimed, “after the meeting ended, MLAs Somnath Bharti and S.K. Bagga, who came to attend the meeting, refused to leave the residential premises of the L-G, on the pretext of joining the ‘dharna’ of the chief minister”.

The two MLAs were “repeatedly requested” to end their “unauthorised occupation” of the residential premises of the L-G, the statement from the Raj Niwas said.

“However, they refused to leave and continued with their unauthorised occupation for about two hours and left only after considerable persuasion,” it added.

“Two MLAs evicted forcefully using police by L-G? Just becoz they wanted to meet him? What is this going on? Why is L-G refusing to meet MLAs, MPs, ministers, CM? Does L-G know that he has a constitutional duty to meet them? He has no choice but to meet them? This is bizarre,” he tweeted. Mr Bharti alleged that he was “ousted” from L-G office by a heavy police force.

“Ashamed that Honble LG in place of hearing us out for 2 min used heavy police led by ACP Sri Tyagi to oust us from L-G House. Possibly the most potent democratic tool namely dialogue has no place in the Modi era,” he tweeted. Mr Bharti they were waiting in the conference room of L-G office after furnishing a letter seeking appointment with the L-G.Baijal.

He said that he wanted to meet the LG for the “deadlock” in Delhi but was asked to move out and later “ousted” with the help of police.  However, a senior police officer said that Bharti and Bagga did not have an appointment to meet Baijal and were asked to leave.

“We checked with the control room of the LG office whether the MLAs had any appointment with the LG but they said that there was no meeting fixed. The MLAs were asked to leave and no police force used to oust them,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Raj Niwas in a statement said, Lt Governor Anil Baijal chaired the DDA meeting to consider the public suggestions and comments which were sought on the issue of the proposed amendments in the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2021.

The amendments in development control norms for shop-cum-residential plots and redevelopment of godowns clusters existing in non-conforming areas, seeks to provide relief to traders from the ongoing sealing drive. “This was an important meeting in the interest of people and development of Delhi, and was convened after following due procedure prescribed for such amendments in MPD-2021,” the statement said.

The DDA has received over 800 suggestions and objections from the public on the proposed modifications in the MPD-2021 over a period of 15 days, since May 26.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had invited feedback from people following a directive from the Supreme Court.  Kejriwal,along with his colleagues, have been at Lieutenant Governor Baijal’s office since June 11, demanding a direction to IAS officers to end what the AAP describes a “strike” and approval of the doorstep ration delivery scheme.