Opposition leaders continue counter-protest against CM

NEW DELHI: Legislators of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday continued its counter-protest against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues' sit-in at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's residence.

BJP MP Pravesh Singh Saheb, MLAs Vijender Gupta and Manjinder Singh Sirsa and suspended Aam Aadmi Party MLA Kapil Mishra started their indefinite hunger strike on June 15 against the "non-performance" of the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government and its failure in providing water to the people.

Gupta said that the doctors have asked all the four to get admitted in a hospital as their ketone levels have increased.

"But we refused to go... We will continue our indefinite hunger strike until the Chief Minister ensures water supply to all and joins his office back," Gupta said.

Delhi Police asked the protesting Opposition leaders to call off their fast, on account of their deteriorating health, with particularly Manjider Singh Sirsa's kerotone level increasing. "If they continue their strike, then they will have to hospitalised," an officer said.

Thanking the people of Delhi "for their support", Sirsa on Monday tweeted that he will also continue his "hunger strike until the Delhi government ensures water supply".

Even as the sit-in protest by Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues entered the seventh day on Monday, the Chief Minister urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "give a green signal" to the IAS officers to end their strike.

Meanwhile, in the first sign of apparent rapprochement, the IAS officers in the Delhi administration on Monday said they were open to formal discussions to end the impasse in Delhi, a day after Kejriwal assured them their safety and dignity.

The IAS AGMUT (Arunachal, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) Association said the officers looked forward to concrete interventions for their security and dignity.

Meanwhile, hitting out at a "constitutional crisis in Delhi", Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday hit out at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Delhi BJP for their protests which has led to a stalemate in the city. He also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring the criris.

"Delhi CM, sitting in Dharna at L-G office. BJP sitting in Dharna at CM residence. Delhi bureaucrats addressing press conferences. PM turns a blind eye to the anarchy; rather nudges chaos and disorder. People of Delhi are the victims, as this drama plays out," he said in a series of tweets.