Amid an intensifying tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday assured the Indian Administrative Association (IAS) officers their security and safety, and appealed to them to end their "strike."
"The press conference held by IAS officers serving under the Delhi government was riddled with lies, inconsistencies, and falsehoods. The most important question about whether or not the officers attended meetings with, responded to phone calls, text messages of Ministers and the Chief Ministers over the last four months was completely side-stepped. A bureaucracy that does not function under the direction of elected Government cannot claim to be working as per will of the people," read a statement by Kejriwal.
Kejriwal alleged that the important meetings called by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia about mid-day meals had to be rescheduled several times due to the officers' no-show.
"Important meetings called by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia about Mid Day Meals had to be rescheduled several times due to the no-show by IAS officers. The meeting was first called on 22 February, 2018. Due to a request to reschedule, it was postponed to 5 March, 2018. Despite accommodating the officer's requests for a later date, the meeting was not attended by them," he said.
He further claimed that the meetings related to pollution control, Mohalla clinics and others suffered or was pending due to the absence of officers at the time of need.
He added, "The people of Delhi are keenly awaiting the return of officers back to work, so that the public works which have suffered in the last four months, may resume. In the interest of the people of Delhi, the IAS officers must end the illegal strike immediately and work with the elected government to fulfill their duties toward the people they are lawfully bound to serve."
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This came after the IAS Association called the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's allegations "false and baseless."
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."
Kejriwal and 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 Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, since June 11, demanding a direction to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers working under the Delhi administration to end their "undeclared strike."
The Delhi Chief Minister claimed that the IAS officers working for the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) were "only working on important files" and "not responding to Ministers' calls and messages, and not attending meetings.