Over 40 Aam Admi Party (AAP) MLAs went to ‘request’ Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Wednesday to give the clearance for mohalla clinics. A high drama scene erupted at Lt Govenor’s office when 45 AAP MLAs camped there until late evening insisting him to clear the file. This led to an another development in a fresh confrontation between the AAP dispensation and the L-G’s office. Baijal hit back saying the legislators were “laying siege” to his office, reported The Indian Express. Later policemen were deployed but the MLAs refused to budge.
Saurabh Bhardwaj, the AAP chief spokesperson was the one who led the meeting between the MLAs and the LG. He said following a complaint from Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, the file for ‘in-principle clearance’ of the clinics had been returned to the Vigilance department. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, later spoke to Baijal over phone. In a statement, Kejriwal said, “There should be no politics with mohalla clinics… LG should call all officers and sort it out. I am prepared to come with my ministers. Let the LG sort out all objections across the table rather than files moving up and down,” reported Indian Express.
In the evening, Baijal issued a statement claiming that the MLAs stormed Raj Niwas with conduct unbecoming of responsible elected representatives, reported the Indian Express. He also maintained that after receiving complaints, the file on mohalla clinics was sent to the CM on July 5 for consideration and re-submission of the proposal. To which Kejriwal’s office responded that the complaints were frivolous and political. The LG added that when he spoke to Kejriwal, he wanted the issue to be solved in a democratic manner and not by laying siege to the office of a constitutional functionary.
