New Delhi [India], December 10 (ANI): The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday, hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party accusing it of “conspiracy” that led to the removal of over 10,000 Bus Marshals from their jobs.
Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, in a press conference at the Delhi Secretariat, slammed BJP and the Lieutenant Governor for “undermining a critical safety initiative” in DTC buses.
Bharadwaj highlighted the plight of over 10,000 young men and women of Delhi who had been working as bus marshals in DTC buses for the past year.
“These young individuals were ensuring the safety of Delhi’s women while commuting on public transport. However, under a conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), they were abruptly removed from their roles by the Lieutenant Governor (LG), appointed by BJP,” he said.
The Delhi Urban Development Minister alleged that the bus marshals’ salaries were stopped, followed by their sudden removal from their positions. “For several months, BJP leaders deceived the bus marshals, claiming, ‘You should get a call from the cabinet minister once; our BJP has already spoken to the LG, and the LG will immediately reinstate you,” he said.
Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “The bus marshals would often tell us that they had spoken to BJP leaders Vijender Gupta, Virender Sachdeva, and Manoj Tiwari, who assured them that if the cabinet ministers requested, the LG would immediately reinstate them. When Vijender Gupta met CM Atishi, he reiterated the same.”
He further revealed that the issue was discussed on November 5, and the meeting was video-recorded. “On that day, all the cabinet ministers signed a proposal and sent it to the LG, but the LG took no action,” Saurabh Bharadwaj said.
“10 days ago, all Delhi ministers again sent a proposal to the LG, pointing out that his suggestion of framing a policy, creating recruitment rules, and establishing posts would take an unreasonably long time. Even the officials appointed by the LG’s administration have indicated that such measures are not feasible,” he added.
The Urban Development Minister said that the current Transport Commissioner, along with other officers, has acknowledged in writing that the responsibility for drafting a policy and managing the services of bus marshals falls under the jurisdiction of the LG.
“About 10 days ago, the entire Cabinet of Ministers sent a proposal to the LG through all Cabinet Ministers, stating: You are talking about making a policy, and your officers have confirmed that it is your responsibility to do so. When you decide to make it, you can proceed,” he added.
“Whenever I meet bus marshals, I tell them clearly, ‘They are just deceiving you.’ In response, on behalf of the entire Cabinet, we wrote to the LG, saying: ‘When you create the policy, you can proceed, but until then, the bus marshals should remain in their positions as before’,” Bharadwaj said
He added, “Yesterday, a note came from the LG’s office, and in that note, the Bharatiya Janata Party has completely exposed itself. They tried to craft the note carefully, but they have fallen into their trap.”
The AAP leader also attacked LG Saxena over his claims that he did not remove the bus marshals.
“The LG repeatedly claims, ‘I did not remove them; your government said they should be removed, so I did. I wanted to keep them.’ This is what LG is saying over and over again. Even the previous Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, repeatedly sent notes requesting their retention, but they were not kept in their roles,” Bhardwaj said.
Questioning the LG, Bharadwaj said, “The LG doesn’t want to reinstate them and is making excuses. This is part of a larger conspiracy by the BJP to remove these bus marshals. Now, with the entire Cabinet repeatedly writing to you, there is no excuse left.”
Highlighting LG Saxena’s statement, “I have already approved the callout of CDVs, particularly those who were deployed, to engage and utilise them specifically for air pollution mitigation activities, up to February 28, 2025,” Bhardwaj said that this line exposes both BJP and the LG.
“This line reveals that the LG himself acknowledges that when civil defence volunteers are called for duty, it is the government’s responsibility to instruct the LG to act. This admission lays bare the BJP’s attempt to shift blame,” he said.
He added, “This completely exposes both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the LG. When the government is asking you to call them out for three months, why are you refusing to reinstate them as bus marshals? By not doing so, you are exposing yourself in your note.”
Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj highlighted yet another instance of deception by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Lieutenant Governor (LG) regarding Delhi’s bus marshals.
He said, “The BJP has repeatedly deceived these individuals, and this is evident in the LG’s own note. It states: ‘It may be noted that, under my direction, the Home Department has given special preference to Civil Defence Volunteers (CDVs) in the recruitment of Home Guards. Consequently, in the latest selection of 1,669 volunteers, 263 CDVs have been selected.'”
Bharadwaj explained, “When the LG removed the bus marshals, the BJP and the LG assured them that they would be recruited as Home Guards. The process was initiated by the LG under the promise that bus marshals would be taken in. However, formal recruitment processes come with requirements such as age criteria, physical tests, and medical tests. Many of these Civil Defence Volunteers, who have been working as bus marshals for 10 years, are now too old or no longer meet the qualifications.”
“This is precisely why, as mentioned in point 253 of the note issued by the Lieutenant Governor, only 263 Civil Defence Volunteers out of 1,669 were selected for the Home Guard recruitment process. The rest were excluded either due to their age, insufficient educational qualifications, or other similar reasons,” he added.
Bharadwaj emphasized, “These figures demonstrate that if bus marshals were required to go through the same formal recruitment process, none of them would meet the criteria. Not a single bus marshal would be reinstated under this scheme.”
He compared the situation to that of guest teachers and concluded by saying, “It will be just like how guest teachers fought for years to be regularized. The BJP introduced new criteria and recruited new people, leaving the long-serving guest teachers out.” (ANI)
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