Having staged a sit-in at Raj Niwas for nine days, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was expected to go to Bengaluru on Thursday for a 10-day naturopathy session.
Mr. Kejriwal, who is a diabetes patient, had been holed up inside the waiting room in Raj Niwas from June 11 till Tuesday evening, when he, along with Labour Minister Gopal Rai, exited the Lieutenant-Governor’s residence. The dharna ended after officers in the Delhi government attended meetings called by Ministers — something which the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation said they had not been doing for the past four months in protest against the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Praksh by AAP MLAs in February.
Asked about the Chief Minister’s health, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said at a press conference on Wednesday that Mr. Kejriwal’s sugar level had spiked as a result of the sit-in. He added that Mr. Kejriwal was scheduled to go for the naturopathy treatment to Bengaluru on June 13, which he missed due to the dharna.
Going to Bengaluru
Sources close to the Chief Minister said he would be leaving for a 10-day stay at a private naturopathy retreat in Bengaluru on Thursday evening after attending meetings of the Delhi Jal Board, of which he is the chairperson, and of the Cabinet.
Since Mr. Kejriwal, Mr. Sisodia, Mr. Rai and Health Minister Satyendar Jain had been staging the sit-in, the Cabinet meeting could not take place last week. While Mr. Jain and Mr. Sisodia, who had been on indefinite fast, had been shifted to hospital and then returned home on Tuesday morning, Mr. Kejriwal and Mr. Rai only left Raj Niwas later in the evening.
While they were inside Raj Niwas, Mr. Kejriwal had appealed to the officers to start attending meetings with the political executive and that he would ensure their safety.
The IAS AGMUT Association had responded via a tweet, saying they welcomed the Chief Minister’s statement. Later, Raj Niwas said in a statement that L-G Anil Baijal had requested the Chief Minister to call a meeting with officers to address their concerns.
When asked whether the Chief Minister would call such a meeting, Mr. Sisodia on Wednesday did not comment.
