Delhi Chief Minister Atishi announced on Friday that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would refrain from fielding a candidate against BJP leader Vijender Gupta in the Rohini Assembly constituency if he helps reinstate civil defence volunteers (CDVs) as bus marshals.
Speaking during a debate in the Delhi Assembly, Atishi urged Gupta to convince Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to approve the proposal reinstating the marshals.
“If you persuade the Lieutenant Governor to sign the proposal, I will personally ensure that our party does not contest against you in Rohini. We will even campaign for you,” Atishi declared.
Her statement came in response to the removal of around 10,000 CDVs from their positions on public transport buses in November last year after objections were raised that their deployment deviated from their disaster mitigation mandate.
Atishi emphasized that reinstating bus marshals was more important to AAP than winning an Assembly seat. She revealed that the proposal to reinstate the marshals was sent to the Lieutenant Governor on November 13 but remains pending.
Atishi also highlighted Gupta’s earlier claim that the marshals were removed at the insistence of then-Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Addressing Gupta, she said, “I am the Chief Minister now. If the Lieutenant Governor values the Chief Minister’s word, please convince him to approve their reinstatement.”
Bus marshals have been agitating for over a year, demanding permanent jobs instead of temporary employment. While a Delhi Disaster Management Authority meeting approved their re-employment for four months due to pollution concerns, they continue to seek long-term job security.
Atishi criticized the politicization of their roles, calling for immediate resolution of their demands.