The Delhi government and Raj Niwas were at loggerheads yet again on Saturday over the issue of reopening city markets.
The Delhi government, according to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), had proposed the reopening of markets but the request was turned down by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.
Sources, however, said the issue was neither on the agenda, nor did it come up for discussion during a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority chaired by the L-G and of which Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was also a part on Friday.
“L-G Baijal wasn’t convinced with the idea of resuming market operations, but industries and construction have been permitted to reopen. The BJP must not monger lies on social media that it was the Delhi government who did not allow markets to reopen as it was the L-G who didn’t sanction it,” AAP trade wing convener Brijesh Goyal alleged.
‘Baseless remark’
According to senior administrative sources present in the meeting, however, Mr. Goyal’s statement was “baseless, false and misleading”.
“Leave apart proposing or discussing in the DDMA meeting, the matter of markets was not even there on the meeting agenda” the source said.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that if the L-G had indeed refused to sanction the opening of city markets, Mr. Kejriwal should have come forward and said it himself.
“The Aam Aadmi Party should stop misleading traders on the Unlock decision taken by the Delhi government. The decision to not to unlock trading activities has been taken with the consent of the L-G and the Chief Minister who announced it,” Mr. Kapoor said.
