CM calls all-party meeting over sealing drive

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday called for an "all-party meeting" at his residence on Tuesday to find solutions to the problems being faced by traders due to the sealing drive in the national Capital.

The Chief Minister, on Sunday, wrote letters to Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party president Manoj Tiwari and Congress chief Ajay Maken.

"We should rise above politics and come together to find a solution to the problems that have risen due to sealing," the Chief Minister wrote in his letter.

He also suggested that not more than three people from each party should be at the meeting so that it can be held smoothly.

"We should rise above politics and come together to find a solution to the problems that have risen due to sealing," the chief minister said in letters sent on Sunday to Tiwari and Maken.

In January, leader of opposition Vijender Gupta had alleged that Aam Aadmi Party leaders and workers "misbehaved" with members of a BJP delegation at Kejriwal's residence when they had gone there to discuss about relief to traders hit by the sealing drive.

A case was registered in the matter and some AAP MLAs were booked.

On Saturday, Maken had written to Kejriwal, offering to share with the chief minister what he felt could be a solution to stop the ongoing sealing drive.

The Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief also thanked the Chief Minister for calling an all-party meeting on the sealing issue, while the BJP said they would decide on their participation after consulting state unit chief Manoj Tiwari, who is currently abroad.

Praising Kejriwal for inviting the BJP, which rules the three Delhi municipal corporations carrying out the drive, the Congress leader expressed the hope the saffron party would participate in the meet.

"Being a former Union urban development minister, I can say with confidence that to save Delhi from sealing, many amendments had already been made in the Master Plan 2021," he had earlier said in a letter to the CM.

Meanwhile, the Delhi unit of BJP said Tiwari is abroad as part of a delegation accompanying President Ram Nath Kovind and will be back by March 15. An office-bearer of the party said a decision on CM Kejriwal's invitation will be taken after consultation with Tiwari.

The Chief Minister had on Saturday written letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi seeking appointments with them to discuss the sealing issue and stressed the need to bring a Bill in Parliament to stop the drive.

The CM had said that the livelihood of thousands of citizens is at stake, due to the sealing drive

The sealing is being undertaken by the municipal corporations on the directions of a Supreme Court-appointed committee.

Hundreds of commercial establishments have been closed so far for non-payment of conversion charges and violation of the Delhi Master Plan-2021.