New Delhi, Sep 26 (UNI) Following a heated discussion between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and the Opposition, the Delhi Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution recommending reinstatement of around 10,000 bus marshals whose services were discontinued while former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in jail.
On the first day of a two-day Assembly, Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj suggested that the resolution should include a provision stating that both AAP and BJP MLAs would meet Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena at 11 am on October 3 (the first day of Navratri) and not leave until the resolution was implemented.
“The families of about 10,000 bus marshals of Delhi are on the verge of ruin. Some bus marshals have even committed suicide. Their families are starving,” Bhardwaj said.
“The LG first stopped the salaries of the bus marshals. After which Arvind Kejriwal raised his voice in favour of the bus marshals and wrote a letter to LG, but he did not reinstate the bus marshals,” Bhardwaj claimed.
“Now I tell BJP that next week all the ministers and MLAs will go to LG and tell him to get whatever he wants in writing from the elected government of Delhi for the reinstatement of bus marshals. Until LG does not reinstate the bus marshals, we will not leave from there,” he asserted.
After the resolution was passed by a voice vote in Delhi Assembly, Bhardwaj posted on X, “On the first Navratri i.e. on 3rd October at 11 am, all the BJP and Aam Aadmi Party MLAs and all the ministers will go to meet LG and get the bus marshals appointed.”
“Marshals were appointed in buses to provide security to mothers and sisters in Delhi. This made it easier for women to travel in DTC buses,” AAP MLA Rituraj said adding that 10,000 bus marshals risked their lives to serve the people of Delhi during the Corona period. But BJP’s LG took away the jobs of these bus marshals.
After this, in February 2024, this very House passed a resolution for the reinstatement of bus marshals, but BJP’s LG did not reinstate the marshals, he said.
“The BJP has always been against bus marshals. Today when the discussion about them started in the House, BJP MLAs walked out,” AAP MLA Jarnail Singh said.
“Today the limit was crossed when BJP MLA Mohan Singh Bisht even called the bus marshals rapists. This is an insult to the bus marshals. BJP will have to apologize for this statement,” he alleged.
