After a month-long strike demanding equal pay and two other basic rights, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)’s Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) faced the BJP government’s wrath instead of relief. On Thursday morning, police were sent in to forcibly clear the protest outside the Civic Centre and arrest the employees — including women, elderly workers, and even children. Calling it a disgrace, AAP’s Leader of Opposition (LoP) in MCD House Ankush Narang asserted that the Mayor handed them the “committee lollipop” but failed to deliver justice, while the BJP government continues to deny MTS workers their rightful pay.
AAP’s LoP in MCD House Ankush Narang stated, “The MTS employees of the MCD, who have been on strike for the last 32 days, were forcibly detained by the police. Even for their small demands, the Mayor has turned a blind eye, but the BJP police detained them. These employees were sitting peacefully outside Gate Number 5 of the Civic Centre, where they work and have the right to protest. They have given 25 to 30 years of service to the MCD, treating it like their family, yet the BJP used its police to forcefully remove them.”
He asserted, “The BJP and Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh should be ashamed of forcibly detaining MCD employees and women, and sending them to different police stations. Earlier, the BJP would use the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to arrest opposition leaders, but now they have crossed all limits by using the police to detain even ordinary MCD employees.”
Highlighting the employees’ core demands, Ankush Narang said, “The employees have only three legitimate demands. First, in 2024, the AAP government sanctioned their posts from Domestic Breeding Checker (DBC) to MTS. They are now asking for ₹27,900 as salary with minimum grade pay and variable Dearness Allowance (DA). How are they supposed to survive in an expensive city like Delhi? How will they send their children to school or pay rent? Second, on compensatory grounds, if something happens to an employee, a member of their family should get a job. What cost does this entail for the BJP government? Third, they should get earned leave and medical leave just like the contract workers. What is wrong in asking for that?”
The MCD LoP added, “On 14th October, the Mayor had announced in the House that a committee would take a decision within 24–48 hours. Today, 17 days have passed. The committee met twice, but each time they only asked for demands and then claimed that 33,000 employees would need to be covered. The officials are misleading everyone. The total number of employees is only 9,000, out of which around 4,200–4,300 are MTS staff. The total cost involved is merely ₹41 crore. The four-engine BJP government should be ashamed. If Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh cannot write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and get ₹41 crore sanctioned, what is the point of such a government? He should resign. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta claims there is sufficient budget, yet MTS employees are on the streets demanding equal pay — a demand that would only cost ₹41 crore.”
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at the AAP headquarters, MCD Co-Incharge Praveen Kumar said, “The dictatorial attitude of the BJP has once again surfaced in Delhi. This time, it is being exercised against employees of the MCD, which functions under their own government. Nearly 5,000 MTS employees had been staging a peaceful protest outside the Civic Centre for over a month. They were continuously reaching out to senior BJP leaders regarding their legitimate demands. They even approached the Chief Minister, Mayor, and Chairperson of the Standing Committee of MCD, leaving no stone unturned. They pleaded at every door, yet the BJP did not listen. Instead, today the BJP deployed police forces to forcibly end their peaceful protest and arrested all MTS employees, spreading them across 12 police stations.”
He asked, “What kind of conspiracy were these employees plotting that required police from 12 stations? These are the same employees who protected Delhi during the COVID-19 pandemic — spraying sanitiser across the city, working tirelessly against diseases like dengue and malaria. They are Delhi’s frontline warriors of cleanliness and public health. Pushing such employees behind bars is completely illegal and inhuman. Peaceful protest is a constitutional right of every citizen and worker. But the BJP could not tolerate the truth spoken by these employees.”
Emphasising the legitimacy of their demands, Praveen Kumar said, “These demands are completely fair and reasonable. These MTS employees earlier worked as Domestic Breeding Checkers (DBC) without any job security or record. When the Aam Aadmi Party came to power, they were, for the first time, given MTS status — giving them hope of stability. But after the BJP came to power in the MCD, the same old tricks returned. The principle of ‘equal pay for equal work’ was broken. Some employees are paid ₹16,000, some ₹20,000, and some ₹24,000 — a clear discrimination. Even a child would understand that equal work deserves equal pay. The BJP government cannot grasp even this basic concept.”
Condemning the arrests, Praveen Kumar added, “Today the BJP has taken an extremely dangerous step by ending the protest and arresting employees across 12 police stations. This is a blatant violation of democratic values. Despite the government being a so-called four-engine government, employees are deprived of their rights, and citizens’ voices are being silenced. The Aam Aadmi Party strongly condemns this act. We demand that all employees be immediately released, their legitimate demands fulfilled, and that they return happily to their duties instead of being forced onto the streets. The Aam Aadmi Party stands shoulder to shoulder with the MTS employees and will continue to raise its voice in their struggle for justice.”
On the other hand, MCD Co-Incharge Preeti Dogra said, “Today, a deeply shameful incident has taken place in Delhi. Around 5,000 MTS employees, including both men and women, have been arrested and distributed across various police stations. Does the BJP consider them terrorists? They were merely demanding their rights and sitting peacefully in protest. Today marked the 34th day of their protest, yet no one heard them. During this time, festivals like Diwali and Chhath passed by. For these employees, every celebration turned dark. Even on Diwali, they sat at the protest site with their young children, hoping the administration would fulfil their demands as a festival gesture. But the BJP did nothing.”
Preeti Dogra continued, “The BJP keeps glorifying the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan from its platforms, but when the real warriors of cleanliness — the MCD’s MTS employees — take to the streets, they are rewarded with jail and police custody. These are the same employees who kept Delhi safe during the global COVID-19 crisis, when the whole world was in distress. During outbreaks of chikungunya, malaria, and dengue, it is they who bear the entire responsibility of maintenance and control. The BJP’s arrogance and political pride have blinded it to the fact that if these workers stay home, Delhi’s condition would collapse. When will the BJP government end this discrimination? When will it fulfill the demands of MTS employees?”
The Aam Aadmi Party demanded that BJP’s four-engine government must immediately fulfil the long-pending and legitimate demands of MTS employees. These employees are the backbone of Delhi’s development, and every AAP worker stands shoulder to shoulder with them in their struggle for dignity and rights. Despite the BJP government’s tyranny and insensitivity, the AAP family will continue to be the voice of MTS employees and fight this battle for their rights until the very end.
