Anganwadis suspend stir temporarily, say will move SC against L-G's direction

New Delhi: Following L-G Anil Baijal's direction prohibiting the anganwadi workers' protest, the Delhi State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union has now suspended their protest "temporarily" and is planning to challenge the invocation of ESMA in the Supreme Court.

The L-G had used the Essential Services law to prohibit the anganwadi workers from continuing their 39-day-long strike near Civil Lines but the anganwadi workers say that if their demand for being recognised as a government employee had not yet been granted, they cannot be covered under the Essential Services law.

The Delhi government had recently increased the wages of anganwadi workers marginally but not as much as they had demanded. Moreover, demands for being recognised as government employees were rejected. The anganwadi workers escalated their protest after this and as their protests gathered steam and anganwadi centres remained shut, several impoverished families have suffered — people who rely on the anganwadi workers and helpers.

Citing this suffering, the Delhi government had asked that the protest be wrapped up but protesters have said that they have received threatening messages from WCD

officials — pressuring them to join back work. Amidst this, the Delhi government replaced the WCD Minister with Kailash Gahlot.

"How can the administration invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act against us, they don't even consider us as full-time government employees. For them, we are just voluntary workers. We can discontinue our services any time," said DSAWHU's media cell head Vrishali Shruti.

"We will challenge this ESMA in Supreme Court and I hope justice will be served. And even if the apex court's decision doesn't favour us, we will restart our agitation once again, ignoring the pressure from the government," Vrishali said.