NEW DELHI: After eight days of sit-in protest in Lieutenant Governor's waiting room, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal finally left the Raj Niwas at 6.30pm on Tuesday. The decision to end the unprecedented deadlock in Delhi - which saw almost the entire opposition siding with the Chief Minister - ended after Anil Baijal asked him to urgently go to the secretariat and meet the IAS officers of Delhi to resolve their differences. Sources said the IAS officers have started attending meetings with ministers. Three such meetings have already taken place. On Tuesday morning, the Chief Minister had made yet another appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a resolution.
A communique from Raj Niwas said the Lieutenant Governor has "requested Hon'ble CM to urgently meet the officers in the Secretariat so that apprehensions and concerns of both sides can be suitably addressed through dialogue in the best interest of the people of Delhi".
The secretaries and other concerned bureaucrats attended meetings called by Transport Minister Kailash Gehlot, Environment Minister Imran Hussain and Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, sources said.
The meetings took place after a letter of appeal to Baijal from Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. In the letter, sent on Monday, Sisodia had asked him to "end the IAS officer's strike" and attend a meeting between Kejriwal and bureaucrats.
After Kejriwal's assurance of security on Monday, the IAS officers tweeted to say they were waiting for "formal communication for a meeting with him in the Delhi Secretariat".
In response, Kejriwal said they had written again to the Lieutenant Governor, asking for a meet. "We r awaiting a response from Hon'ble LG. Hon'ble LG awaiting a green signal from Hon'ble PM, who has to take the decision. Whole Delhi is waiting for Hon'ble PM to decide fast," his tweet read.
The Supreme Court refused to urgently hear a petition that asked Kejriwal's protest be declared "unconstitutional". The court is currently on summer vacation, and the vacation bench said: "We will list it on reopening of the court".
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain said they would join work on Tuesday after their release from the hospital Sisodia tweeted to say, "Now everything is under control. If doctors allow I'll try to be back to work today only."
On Monday the Delhi High Court questioned who authorised Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues to hold a sit-in protest at the Lt. Governor's office.
Most opposition parties except the Congress have supported Kejriwal's protest. On Monday, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi tweeted: "Delhi CM, sitting in Dharna at LG office. BJP sitting in Dharna at CM residence. Delhi bureaucrats addressing press conferences. PM turns a blind eye to the anarchy; rather nudges chaos & disorder. People of Delhi are the victims, as this drama plays out."