“You Get File Signed, I Will…”: Atishi’s Bus Marshal ‘Deal’ For BJP MLA

Reinstate bus marshals (a guard on a public bus to ensure safety of women passengers) and you can all but ensure victory for yourself in next year’s Delhi Assembly election – Chief Minister Atishi‘s humorous ‘offer’ Friday afternoon to Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Vijender Gupta.

The remark, made during a sitting of the Delhi Assembly, was directed at Mr Gupta, the MLA from the Rohini constituency, who had criticised the ruling Aam Aadmi Party on this issue.

“On November 10 we had a meeting. On November 13 we sent a report to LG saab. Today is November 29. Now the proposal to reinstate bus marshals is with him…”

“Vijender saab keeps saying, ‘We removed them (the bus marshals) because (then) Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked… OK. I am also Chief Minister and now I am saying, “please bring them back’.”

Atishi, smiling broadly, also took a jab at Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena – the centre’s rep in the national capital who often has run-ins with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party. “If he listens to everything a Chief Minister says… he can listen to what I say and bring back bus marshals.”

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And then the grinning Chief Minister slipped in the ‘offer’; she said, “You just get the file for the appointment of bus marshals signed by the LG. I will convince my party not to field any candidate against you…”, and threw in a bonus, saying, “I will also campaign for you.”

The spat between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and Lieutenant Governor VK – over marshals on Delhi Transport Corporation buses – has been bubbling since October last year.

Back then the latter directed the re-tasking of 10,000 such personnel – designated as Civil Defence Volunteers – to fill sanctioned posts of Home Guards. This was after objections by the Directorate of Civil Defence; it was argued they were meant for disaster management roles only.

READ | Delhi Govt Appeals To Lt Governor For Reinstatement Of Bus Marshals

However, earlier this month the Delhi government passed a proposal to eventually reinstate all 10,000 personnel; this would be after a four-month tour to aid anti-pollution efforts in the city.

That proposal was sent to the Lieutenant Governor, and it was approved.

The issue is the LG then urged the Delhi government to formulate a separate scheme to permanently redeploy those 10,000 personnel as bus marshals. But the Delhi government insists, per a report placed before the Lieutenant Governor, that this falls under his purview.

The LG responded by demanding details of the proposal, including a clear definition of roles and responsibilities, budgetary provisions, and service conditions, all approved by the cabinet.

That was the report, according to Chief Minister Atishi, sent on November 13.

Atishi has been Chief Minister since September but, like her predecessor, Mr Kejriwal, has already had run-ins with the Lieutenant Governor. However, in a surprise move last week, Mr Saxena showed praise, rather than criticism, calling her “a thousand times better”.

READ | “Thousand Times Better…”: Delhi Lt Governor’s Surprise For AAP’s Atishi

Mr Saxena didn’t always have kind words for Atishi.

In April, while Mr Kejriwal was in jail, he ripped into her and party colleague Saurabh Bhardwaj for “a lack of seriousness” when summoned to his office to discuss “routine works of governance”.

The AAP is widely seen as facing as stern test to win a third consecutive Assembly election, particularly after persistent attacks from the BJP (and on-paper allies Congress) over issues like the air quality crisis and the ‘sheeshmahal‘ controversy swirling around the ex-Chief Minister.

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