The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has urged the BJP to keep its promise and join AAP MLAs in meeting the Lieutenant Governor (LG) to reinstate 10,500 bus marshals. These marshals, vital for women’s safety in DTC buses, were removed by the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi last year without one year’s salary.
“If the BJP backs out again, the marshals’ families will suffer further,” Dilip Pandey warned, emphasizing the urgency of restoring their livelihoods.
Demanding immediate reinstatement of the bus marshals, senior AAP leader and Timarpur MLA Dilip Pandey stated, “It is deeply saddening that the BJP and the LG appointed by them have become so insensitive and inhumane that they don’t seem to care about the condition of families of the bus marshals whose jobs were taken away and their salaries for an year remain unpaid. A proposal unanimously passed in Delhi Assembly for their reinstatement was sent to the LG but neither he nor the BJP budged.”
Sharing the plight of the marshals, the Timarpur MLA said that the LG and BJP continued to make arbitrary and baseless excuses like the marshals were told, “This full stop is missing in the proposal; go to the Delhi government and ask them to add it,” and they kept struggling. Other times, they were told that the proposal had been sent but a press conference (PC) was needed. So we held press conferences time and time again. But the bus marshals were helpless.”
“The AAP believes that no one, not even any government or the LG appointed by the BJP has the right to take away their livelihood from someone,” the AAP senior leader added.
With every AAP Minister and MLA ready to support them, Dilip Pandey further added that “We told the bus marshals to bring all the leaders from the BJP who you have contact with, and we’ll all go to the LG. We would go to the LG, sign the necessary documents, and get the work done right there.”
Dilip Pandey stated that the bus marshals from across Delhi reached there, joined by AAP Ministers including Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, and AAP MLAs. However, BJP leaders took a U-Turn from their commitment. Their dishonest intent kept the marshals and their families in misery. The marshals saw that the BJP leaders didn’t show up as promised.
“During the last Assembly session, Delhi government Ministers and MLAs made another sincere attempt to reinstate the marshals, pushing for a discussion despite BJP opposition. We presented the facts in such a way that even BJP MLAs agreed an injustice had been done. A formal proposal was then passed, marking a rare moment of agreement between the ruling party and the opposition,” added the senior AAP leader.
Dilip Pandey asserted that it was decided in the assembly that on October 3, Delhi government ministers, AAP and BJP MLAs will go to the LG and get the bus marshals reinstated. We all will go to the LG and put an end to this dispute forever and relieve the marshals from feeling like they’re treated as a football.
“Our demands are simple. Both BJP and AAP leaders, along with ministers, should meet the LG together and keep their promise, as 10,000 bus marshals and their families are watching. Under the new law, all officers report to the LG. The LG must instruct the finance, transport, and revenue departments to sign off on the necessary documents and expedite the process to ensure the marshals’ reinstatement without delays, with a clear deadline for completion,” added the Timarpur MLA.
Meanwhile, senior AAP leader and Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar shared that the Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal, deployed bus marshals in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses to ensure the safety of women in 2015. The objective was to create a safe environment for women traveling on DTC buses and the marshals were performing their duties very well. But in 2023, the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi issued an order to remove them. His reasoning was that since CCTV cameras and panic buttons had been installed in DTC buses, the marshals were no longer needed.
“The Delhi government and then CM Arvind Kejriwal maintained that marshals were still essential in the buses,” stated the AAP MLA. He continued, “Unfortunately, for the past year, around 10,500 bus marshals have not received any salary, and have been removed from their jobs by the LG. The AAP has continuously raised this issue and demanded that these marshals be reinstated. But even after a year, the LG has not taken any steps to reinstate them.”
Highlighting the fact that the unemployed marshals’ families are struggling to make ends meet, Kuldeep Kumar stated that a proposal for the reinstatement of bus marshals was passed in the Delhi Assembly, supported by the BJP as well. We demand that their livelihoods be restored and the LG should ensure that the proposal becomes a reality.
The senior AAP leaders expressed that these are our demands and we expect the BJP to agree with them. Tomorrow, on October 3, let’s all go together to the LG’s office. We are hopeful that this time the BJP will not break its promise.
The proposal passed in the Delhi Assembly stated that the House unanimously resolves that the bus marshals deployed in DTC buses be reinstated and their services be made permanent. Reaffirming the resolution passed on 29th February 2024, all members of the House and ministers of the Delhi government will meet the Lieutenant Governor on 3rd October 2024 to press for the immediate reinstatement and regularization of the bus marshals. The concerned minister will take all necessary steps during the meeting with the LG, including signing any required documents for this purpose.