Delhi LG meets protesting bus marshals, CM Atishi slams BJP for “doing politics over issue”

New Delhi [India], October 5 (ANI): Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Saturday met Bus Marshals who are protesting to get reinstated. However, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party and said that all things that are needed have been done and it is now on the BJP to regularise the Marshals and allot them joining letters.

BJP Delhi official handle posted on X about the meeting of LG Saxena with Bus Marshals and said, “The Lt Gov Delhi met with a delegation of Bus Marshals today and assured them that their request would be given positive consideration. The meeting was arranged by State President Virendra Sachdeva. The Delhi BJP does not believe in politicizing humanitarian causes, which is why we facilitated a direct meeting.”

Speaking on the issue, Delhi CM Atishi told ANI that the issue of Marshals comes under service matters that come under the LG.

“BJP MLAs have asked for time to meet me yesterday, we met them and explained to them about the issue (of Bus marshals) that it comes under service matters that come under the LG. Today, the BJP got exposed that because our entire cabinet was there and we made it clear that those decisions need to be taken by us, we will take it and the BJP should ask the LG to make decisions on matters which come under him – BJP is not ready for that, they are doing politics over the issue,” she said.

“We called an emergency cabinet meeting and the resolution that was passed by the Delhi assembly to regularise bus marshal was signed upon. Even after coming here, BJP MLAs were not ready to ask the LG to pass that cabinet note. This is a betrayal against the bus marshal. The things that were to be done by the cabinet – to regularise bus marshals and civil defense volunteers, have been done. Now, the BJP has to regularise them and allot them joining letters,” the Delhi CM added.

Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the BJP Delhi Chief Vijender Gupta has asked for the time to meet the CM, assuring that he will let the rest of the work be done through LG.

“He said that – you (Delhi govt) pass the proposal from the cabinet, we will let the rest of the work be done through LG. We had said to him that it’s a matter of services and comes under the LG. We passed the proposal, the cabinet endorsed the resolution passed by the Delhi assembly on 26th September regarding the reinstatement of the bus marshal and we recommended it to the LG. Only the CM and BJP MLAs are allowed to meet the LG. We have concerns regarding her (CM) security. I think, to send a woman CM alone there is wrong – morally, per security, and also as per the protocol,” Bharadwaj said.

Meanwhile, the bus marshals have been protesting to get reinstated after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena terminated their services in October last year.

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj and other party members were detained by police on Thursday while protesting at Chandgiram Akhara in Delhi, demanding the reinstatement of marshals in buses.

Last month, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, who was a cabinet minister at that time, wrote a letter to Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena, requesting him to restore the jobs of bus marshals.

In her letter addressed to LG Saxena on Wednesday, Atishi said, “These Bus Marshals were primarily deployed through the pool of Civil Defence volunteers of Government of NCT of Delhi. Surprisingly, 8 years after the implementation of this scheme and its successful functioning, in a completely unforeseen move, their salaries were suddenly stopped on your orders. Their callout duties were ended on frivolous grounds, thus putting the Bus Marshal Scheme in a limbo.”