Asking the Social Welfare Minister Sandeep Kumar to abort the anti-begging drive, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal went on social media to publically call Mr. Kumar’s plan ‘inhuman’ and a ‘futile’ exercise.
The Ministry said that Mr. Kejriwal’s direction over Twitter to stop the planned move “immediately” caught the minister, who has been pushing for the drive over the last few weeks, off guard.
Drive was to begin on Monday
“Most inhuman n futile exercise that social welfare dept cud think of. Am directing them to stop it immediately [sic],” Mr. Kejriwal tweeted.
Sources said Mr. Kumar had not consulted senior officials of the department before charting out the roadmap of the drive to make Delhi ‘beggar-free’, which was to begin on Monday.
As The Hindu had reported on July 2, the Minister had formed ten teams that were tasked with picking up beggars and sending them to beggar homes for rehabilitation. “The blueprint of the plan is still not ready. But the drive has been halted,” said sources in the Delhi government. However, there is no written communication sent to the Social Welfare Minister from the CM’s office.
