BJP MPs Manoj Tiwari, Gautam Gambhir join Delhi mayors' dharna outside CM's residence

An indefinite dharna by mayors and leaders of the BJP-ruled municipal corporations outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals residence entered the third day on Wednesday, with party MPs Manoj Tiwari and Gautam Gambhir joining the protest.

An indefinite dharna by mayors and leaders of the BJP-ruled municipal corporations outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence entered the third day on Wednesday, with party MPs Manoj Tiwari and Gautam Gambhir joining the protest. Mayors of North, South and East Delhi Municipal Corporations Jai Prakash, Anamika Mithilesh and Nirmal Jain, accompanied by many women councillors, have been sitting outside Kejriwal's Flagstaff Road residence since Monday.

They demand that the Delhi government pay ''unpaid'' dues of Rs 13,000 crore to the civic bodies. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dismissed the protest as an ''excuse'' and said the BJP's aim is to ''harass'' Kejriwal and ''distract'' the people's attention from the ongoing protests by farmers against the Centre's three farm laws.

BJP MP Tiwari said, ''Although Kejriwal calls himself an 'Aam Aadmi' (common man), he is basically against common man. That is why his government has not paid dues of Rs 13,000 crore to municipal corporations which would help in payment of salaries to sanitation workers, doctors, nurses and other employees.'' If the chief minister was sensitive, he would pay dues to corporations whose employees are fighting the pandemic as corona warriors, said Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta, who was also present at the protest venue. ''It is very unfortunate that even on the third day of the protest, Kejriwal did not even bother to come and talk to the corporation leaders sitting outside his residence in this severe cold,'' he said.

East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir said the chief minister should show courtesy and meet the protesting corporation leaders, many of whom are women. Earlier, BJP MPs Meenakshi Lekhi and Parvesh Verma met the protesting municipal corporation leaders on Tuesday and joined the protest.

The AAP, in its statement, said that even the mayors know that their protest is only an excuse by their high command to ''harass'' Kejriwal and ''distract'' people's attention from the nationwide farmers' protests. ''The mayors are well aware that the Delhi government has given all the funds due and it is because of their corruption and inefficiency that the MCDs (municipal corporations of Delhi) are facing financial ruin,'' the AAP said.

The AAP asked BJP protesters to resign from corporations and let it run them efficiently and within the exiting budget..