Thursday, Apr 25, 2024 | Last Update : 10:20 AM IST
Delhi Congress to protest against ‘illegal sealing’
He said a massive agitation against the drive will be launched from September 5 from East Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar.
New Delhi: Accusing the BJP and the AAP for giving a “silent” nod to the ongoing sealing drive of illegal industries and shops in the national capital, senior Congress leader in Delhi, Mukesh Sharma on Thursday said that his party will hold a massive demonstration against the drive outside chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on Friday. He said a massive agitation against the drive will be launched from September 5 from East Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar.
Mr Sharma, who has been appointed as a chief coordinator for the sealing drive, said that the Congress will be fighting a decisive battle to stop the drive in the city. He accused the AAP government in Delhi and BJP government at the Centre for joining hands under the table and giving a silent nod to the massive sealing drive.
Mr Sharma said that the UPA government had issued a notification in 22 areas to regularise 70 per cent of household-industrial units to put to an end to the sealing drive. “But it was shocking that the AAP government has not issued any such notification to put an end to this drive.”
Mr Sharma said, at present the household industrial units can have only five employees and they have permission to consume just 5 MW of electricity. “It was high time for the government to increase both the number of employees to 11 and that of electricity consumption to 11 KW to provide relief from this drive to lakhs of people in the city.”
The Congress leader alleged that a city minister was trying to work out under the table deal with the industrial units, whi-ch had been recommended for regularisation. He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making fervent appeal to people to earn their livelihood by selling “pakoras” “For selling pakoras, again we need a small shop.”
Mr Sharma accused the AAP government for not convening even a single special Assembly session on the pressing issue. which had cost jobs to lakhs of people.
“They hold special sessions every now and then. But they did not convene any session to discuss this serious issue. And when Congress was in power, we held only three special sessions in our 15-year-old rule. This shows livelihood of lakhs of people was not a priority for the AAP government.”
