NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister
Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday sought to allay the fears of Delhi bureaucrats and urged them to get back to work shortly after the officers accused the AAP-led government of "victimizing" and "targeting" them.
The chief minister's assurance came following Delhi's IAS association allegations that they are being "targeted" and "victimised". The officers in a press conference had said that they feel threatened in the prevailing atmosphere.
In his message, the chief minister wrote: "I wish to assure them that I will ensure their safety and security with all powers and resourced available at my command."
The chief minister said that similar assurances have been extended to bureaucrats in the past as well.
In February this year, Delhi cabinet secretary Anshu Prakash had alleged that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators had physically assaulted him at chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence.
Even as AAP called the allegations "ludicrous" and said Prakash is making these claims at the behest of the BJP, Delhi government employees had said they are going on strike to protest the alleged assault.
Today, CM Kejriwal tried to ease the tensions which had been building since last week after Kejriwal along with a group of ministers alleged that IAS officers in the national capital have been on strike for the last four months and staged a sit-in protest at the residence of Delhi
LG Anil Baijal.
"The officers are a part of my family," he said.
The minister urged the officers to return to work and start working sans any pressure from a government or a political party.
"I would urge them to stop their boycott of the elected government, return to work now and start attending all meetings of Ministers, respond to their calls and messages and join them in field inspections," he wrote in a message embedded in a tweet.
"They should work without fear or pressure. They should not come under any pressure from any sources, whether state government or central government or any political party," he added.
A similar appeal was issued by the chief minister to Prime Minister Narendra Modi shortly before he posted the above message.
"The public is feeling insulted and hurt. Not only entire Delhi, but entire nation is urging you to help end the strike of IAS officers and let the elected government work," he tweeted as he tagging a tweet of the PM.
Earlier today, IAS officers held an unprecedented press conference where they accused the AAP-led government in Delhi of deliberately "targeting" and "victimising" its officers.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, IAS Association member Manisha Saxena said, "I would like to inform that we are not on strike. The information that IAS officers in Delhi are on strike is completely false and baseless. We are attending meetings and all departments are doing their work. We are sometimes also working on holidays."
She added, "Work is in progress. We are even working on holidays."
Meanwhile, AAP leaders and workers held a march today to the Prime Minister's residence to protest against the lack of response by the Lt Governor Anil Baijal and the Centre to the sit-in by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers at the Lt Governor's house.
The strike is being staged demanding a direction to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers working under the Delhi administration to end their 'undeclared strike', among other demands.
Kejriwal, along with some of his cabinet ministers like Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, and Gopal Rai, are on a sit-in strike at Raj Niwas, the official residence of Delhi LG, since June 11.
