Delhi govt vs L-G: Protesting AAP workers stopped on way to PM''s residence

New Delhi, June 17

The Delhi Police on Sunday stopped hundreds of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers from taking out a protest march to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence in support of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and three of his Cabinet colleagues, who have been holding a sit-in at the L-G office for the last one week, demanding that Lt Governor Anil Baijal direct IAS officers to end their “strike”.

AAP leaders and supporters gathered outside the Mandi House Metro station around 5 pm and tried to march toward the Prime Minister’s residence, which is located on Lok Kalyan Marg.

However, the police stopped the protesters at Parliament Street with the help of barricades.

Hours before the AAP's protest march, the Delhi Police had said no permission was sought for it, even as AAP leaders alleged that party supporters were being prevented from taking part in the protest march.

Kejriwal had on Friday said that the march was planned after his letters to the Prime Minister, seeking his intervention in the matter, drew no response.

The Lok Kalyan Marg metro station, which falls in the vicinity of PM’s residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, was the first to have been shut ahead of the march.

“As advised by the Delhi Police, no entry or exit will be available at Lok Kalyan Marg station from 12 noon onwards till further directions,” a senior DMRC official said earlier.

He later said four more stations were closed, but interchange facilities at Central Secretariat station would be available.

“As advised by the police, entry and exit at four more metro stations will be closed from 2 pm onwards till further directions. The stations are Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Janpath,” the official said.

“However, interchange between Yellow and Violet Lines at Central Secretariat will remain available,” he added.

Earlier, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said his party condemns the manner in which the federal feature of the Constitution was being “undermined” by the BJP government at the Centre.

“Joining the protest rally to the Prime Minister’s residence today to express serious condemnation over the manner in which the federalism, a fundamental feature of our Constitution, is being undermined by this BJP central government,” Yechury said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s IAS association today rebutted the claim of the AAP that its officers are on a strike and alleged they are being targeted and victimised. Agencies