NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will hold a ‘maha rally’ at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday against the Centre’s ordinance on control of services in the national capital, which is likely to be attended by one lakh people, claimed a party spokesperson.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann along with other top leaders, including Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi and Sanjay Singh, are expected to attend the event.
Enhanced security measures have been put in place at and around Ramlila Maidan, police said. The rally is likely to be attended by one lakh people, an AAP spokesperson claimed.
A senior police officer said around 12 companies of paramilitary forces will be deployed along with the local police. CCTV surveillance will also be made. Metal detectors will be installed at the entry gates of the ground. Those entering the rally venue will be frisked, the officer said.
The Delhi Traffic Police has also been asked to regulate vehicular movement during the programme. Fire tenders and ambulances will also be deployed there, police said. Party spokesperson Reena Gupta said they are expecting one lakh people to join the rally, adding that AAP has carried out extensive campaigns to inform the masses about the Ordinance and its impact on their daily life. “We have done extensive campaigning, reached out to people and explained to them about the Ordinance and how will it impact their day to day lives,” she said.
She further said the schemes introduced by the Delhi government will not get implemented in the union territory if the officers of Delhi are not accountable to the Chief Minister. “People of Delhi elected Arvind Kejriwal thrice and schemes that are being drafted for people’s development cannot be implemented if the officers of Delhi are not accountable to the Chief Minister,” she said.
“The Supreme Court judgment also said that how will an elected government function if the bureaucrats don’t listen to them. People of Delhi are upset that why is the Centre trying change it,” Gupta added.
When asked about the AAP’s moves against the Ordinance, BJP leader Gautam Gambhir alleged that Delhi has witnessed “no development” in the last nine years. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government has only been “collecting money from the taxpayers to fight elections in other states,” he added.