East Delhi sanitation workers on strike: Arvind Kejriwal says BJP govt at Centre, MCDs playing 'dirty politics' on issue

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday attacked BJP-led government and BJP-ruled Municipal Corporations of Delhi saying both were playing “dirty politics” on sanitation workers issues. “How is it possible that the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) which could pay salaries in the year 2014 to 2015 in half the funds that it got from Delhi government then, now says it is unable to do so when it is getting almost double the amount?” Kejriwal said in a statement. [caption id=“attachment_4505833” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. PTI[/caption]

“Why was there no strike in the year 2014 to 2015 over the sanitation workers salaries? The Bharatiya Janata Party’s central government and BJP-ruled MCDs are playing dirty politics on the issues concerning the sanitation workers,” he said.

Since 12 September, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation’s(EDMC) sanitation workers were on strike and on Thursday they protested at the Delhi chief minister’s residence. They also clashed with the police when the latter tried to disperse them. The workers demanded the Aam Aadmi Party’s government to release pending salaries, pensions and clear arrears in their corporation. The sanitation workers were on strike for past 23 days for which residents were facing the brunt of the garbage strewn across East Delhi in areas like Pandav Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Karkardooma and other areas. Kejriwal said according to the 14th Finance Commission, the central government was supposed to provide Rs 488 per person to every municipality in the country. “Had the BJP and MCDs demanded this amount of Rs 488 per person for a municipality, they would have been entitled for at least Rs 5,000 crore, which is due to them since last five years” he said. He also said that this amount would have “ensured” fulfilment of all demands of sanitation workers, including regularisation of their services and payment of their arrears. Kejriwal further said that despite BJP in power at the centre and which also controls the Municipal Corporation of Delhi “was not” providing the funds to the corporations.