Delhi sealing: Maken thanks CM for all-party meet, BJP yet to decide

Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken thanked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for calling an all-party meeting on the sealing issue, while the BJP said they would decide on their participation after consulting state unit chief Manoj Tiwari, who is currently abroad. The chief minister has written to Maken and Tiwari, inviting them for the meeting at his residence on Tuesday and said, "We should rise above politics and come together to find a solution to the problems that have risen due to sealing." Maken, who had written a letter to Kejriwal on Saturday, offering to share with the chief minister what he felt could be a solution to stop the ongoing sealing drive, thanked him for accepting his request. Praising the chief minister for inviting the BJP for the meeting, since the three municipal corporations of Delhi are ruled by the saffron party, the Congress leader expressed hope that the BJP would participate in the meeting and said the situation demands "positive politics". Meanwhile, the Delhi BJP said Tiwari is abroad as part of a delegation accompanying President Ram Nath Kovind and will be back by March 15.

An office-bearer of the party said a decision on Kejriwal's invitation will be taken after consultation with Tiwari. In January, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta had alleged that AAP leaders and workers "misbehaved" with members of a BJP delegation at Kejriwal's residence when they had gone there to discuss about relief to traders hit by the sealing drive. A case was registered in the matter and some AAP MLAs were booked. The sealing drive was undertaken by the municipal corporations of the national capital on the directions of a Supreme Court-appointed committee in December last year. Under the drive, hundreds of commercial establishments have been sealed so far for non-payment of conversion charges and violation of Delhi Master Plan.