Civil defence volunteers to be re-engaged for anti-pollution measures from this week: Delhi CM
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Sunday announced that the deployment of 10,000 civil defence volunteers removed as bus marshals last year will begin in the next 2-4 days to assist various agencies fighting air pollution.
A detailed proposal for their permanent engagement will also be sent for approval of the Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena within a week, she said at a press conference here.
The announcements come a day after the LG wrote to Atishi, saying despite his order to immediately reappoint the civil defence volunteers (CDV), he was yet to receive a proposal in this regard.
"Of course, you and your party leaders may continue to do politics of taking credit for their reinstatement, but any more delay in the welfare of these economically weaker and helpless people is not right in any way," Saxena said in his letter.
Around 10,000 CDVs working as marshals in public buses in Delhi were removed from their posts in November last year after objections were raised by the revenue and finance departments.
At the press meet, the Delhi chief minister said that in a meeting last week, the CDVs were already assigned for implementation of various anti-pollution measures undertaken by different agencies.
"Their call out will begin in next 2-4 days," she said.
Atishi slammed the BJP, saying it should stop its "dirty politics" over the issue. She claimed the saffron party would make efforts to block the AAP government's proposal to the LG for the permanent engagement of CDVs.
She hit out at the BJP whose Delhi unit president Virendra Sachdeva warned that the party would 'gherao' the chief minister if a proposal for the re-appointment of bus marshals was not sent to the LG by Sunday evening.
"I want to ask the BJP leaders to stop their dirty politics on the bus marshal issue. First, their salaries were stopped in April last year and finally they were removed in October, 2023 due to BJP's conspiracy," she charged.
However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders extended full support to the CDVs after their salaries were stopped and they were ultimately removed from their jobs, she claimed.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
