AAP blames LG for delay in providing 4,000 home guards on DTC buses

The alleged delay in providing 4,000 home guards to the Delhi government for women security duties seems to be blowing up into a new flashpoint between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.

Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday threatened to protest outside Raj Niwas if the Lieutenant Governor, who controls the police and home guards, does not hasten the process, within a week, for relieving the manpower for deployment as marshals in Delhi Transport Corporation buses.

Using Home Guards as marshals for women security is one of the promises made by the AAP during the Assembly election manifesto.

Delhi unit secretary Dilip Pandey said: “The Delhi government had written a letter to the LG related to the issue in May and June, but there is no response.”

“After this the Delhi unit of the AAP sought time to meet the LG, but there has been no response from him. We will wait for him for a week. If he does not respond, then we will hold agitation outside the Raj Niwas,” he told reporters.

Sources in Raj Niwas said Jung has sought a feedback from Delhi Police chief B S Bassi on whether the Home Guards Act allows the use of this uniformed force by any other agency other than police.

“There seems to be a glitch in permitting use of home guards as marshals,” hinted an official.
Accusing the BJP of trying to use the women’s security issue for political gains, the AAP leader Sanjay Singh asked: “Why is the BJP trying to settle scores with the AAP for its defeat in Delhi?”

In an indirect allegation, he blamed the Lieutenant Governor, who is the representative of the BJP-led central government, of creating hurdles for the Delhi government in fulfilling its poll promise.

The Kejriwal government intends to post home guards in busy markets besides deploying them on public transport buses to check harassment of women and other crimes.