New Delhi [India]: Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday staged a protest outside the LG Secretariat Office, demanding the resignation of LG Vinai Kumar Saxena, days after a woman and her son drowned to death in an open drain in East Delhi following heavy rains in the national capital.
The pair drowned in an open drain in Mayur Vihar Phase-III on August 1.
Following this incident, the AAP and the LG, sparred over whether the drain comes under the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) or Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
AAP spokesperson, Reena Gupta during today’s protest, said, “A mother and her child died after falling into a DDA drain, DDA is completely under LG. The LG and DDA are responsible for the death of mother and son.”
“LG will stop the work of the Delhi government and write love letters to ministers but he cannot handle the responsibility of law and order and DDA. LG Sir, please take action against the culprits and tender your resignation,” Gupta said.
AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar said that the Lt Guv should take action against the guilty officers of the DDA and submit their resignation.
“Today we have come to protest outside the LG’s Secretariat because due to the negligence of LG’s DDA, a mother and son died after falling into a drain. As soon as DDA’s name came up in this incident, LG and BJP ran away. LG sahab, take action against the guilty officers of DDA and resign yourself,” Kumar stated.
On Friday, the LG Secretariat, in a statement, claimed that the drain in which the drowning incident took place Khoda Colony belonged to the MCD under the control of AAP. “The 1000-metre drain was neither de-silted nor covered,” the statement said.
The statement came hours after Delhi Environment Minister and AAP leader Gopal Rai criticized the Centre on Friday and called for action against Delhi Development Authority (DDA) workers after the woman and her child drowned in an “uncovered” DDA drain.
“It is unfortunate that BJP workers stay silent when a woman and her child die after falling into a DDA drain. Have the BJP leaders stopped protesting now? Have they gone blind?” said Delhi Minister Gopal Rai during a press conference in Delhi.