AAP leaders and workers were joined by CPM, trade unionists, and some members of the public. (PTI) Here are the highlights of the AAP March: Jun 17, 2018 19:27 (IST) Actor Prakash Raj's Swipe At PM Modi, Support For Arvind Kejriwal "Dear supreme leader.. we know u r busy with Fitbit challenge..yoga n exercise..can u spare a minute and take a deep breath.. look around ...and instruct bureaucrats to work with Chief Minister Kejriwal...(who is actually doing a good job ) and exercise your duty too..#justasking," (sic) Prakash Raj said on twitter. "Dear supreme leader.. we know u r busy with Fitbit challenge..yoga n exercise..can u spare a minute and take a deep breath.. look around ...and instruct bureaucrats to work with Chief Minister Kejriwal...(who is actually doing a good job ) and exercise your duty too..#justasking," (sic) Prakash Raj said on twitter. Jun 17, 2018 19:25 (IST) On Arvind Kejriwal's Protest in Delhi, Shatrughan Sinha Offers BJP "Food For Thought" Actor politician Shatrughan Sinha has issued a strong takedown of the Narendra Modi government over the impasse between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Lieutenant Governor. The week-long, unprecedented sit-in protest has had most opposition parties rallying behind him." Actor politician Shatrughan Sinha has issued a strong takedown of the Narendra Modi government over the impasse between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Lieutenant Governor. The week-long, unprecedented sit-in protest has had most opposition parties rallying behind him." Jun 17, 2018 19:22 (IST) AAP's march against centre ends at Delhi's Parliament Street, about 3 km from the Prime Minister's residence, after police stop them. About 4,000 people, including AAP volunteers, party workers, trade unionists, CPM workers, and members of the public took part in the march. Jun 17, 2018 18:13 (IST) AAP Protest Contained At Parliament Street: Delhi Police "They don't have permission (for protest march). They've been contained at Parliament street and are being told that they can't go any further. Specially trained personnel are deployed. We're sure AAP protesters listen to us," DCP New Delhi says, news agency ANI reports Jun 17, 2018 18:09 (IST) No Permission For AAP March, Say Police "The New Delhi district has not received any permission of an AAP protest. Protest marches are banned in residential areas," says senior police officer Madhur Verma Jun 17, 2018 17:54 (IST) Left Joins AAP Stir Against Centre, Lockdown In Heart Of Delhi Five metro stations have been shut down in Delhi and prohibitory orders imposed in residential areas near the route of the march by Arvind Kejriwal's AAP. The Delhi Chief Minister has been on a sit-in protest at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's house. Jun 17, 2018 17:50 (IST) AAP Workers, Supporters Stage Protest March To Prime Minister's Residence Jun 17, 2018 17:42 (IST) AAP Leader Saurabh Bhardwaj Challenges IAS Officers Over Rule Book After IAS officers in Delhi held a press conference to "clarify" their position, Saurabh Bhardwaj said, "Show me one rule in your code of conduct that says IAS officers can decide which meetings to attend/boycott". Jun 17, 2018 17:31 (IST) Only Skip Meetings Where "Safety" Is At Risk, Says IAS Officers In Delhi IAS officer Manisha Saxena says, "Routine meetings and statutory meetings are different, we attend the latter. We have no confidence, no one has reached out to us to boost our confidence." Jun 17, 2018 17:28 (IST) "We are not working on anyone's behest, please communicate this. Camera recordings cannot show our mental anguish," IAS officers say at a press conference. Jun 17, 2018 17:19 (IST) CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury Lends Support To AAP March "Joining the protest rally to the Prime Minister's residence today to express serious condemnation over the manner in which federalism, a fundamental feature of our Constitution, is being undermined by this BJP Central government," Mr Yechury says in a tweet. Jun 17, 2018 17:09 (IST) Not On Strike, Being Victimised, Delhi's IAS Officers Tell Media IAS officers dismissed the allegations of being on strike as "completely false and baseless". The officers said they were carrying out inspections. "No officer is on strike or slowing down work... we are working on holidays as well. "We are not on strike," an officer said. Jun 17, 2018 17:04 (IST) Only Answerable to Law And Constitution, Say IAS Officers In response to the Kejriwal government's allegation that IAS officers are not meeting ministers or attending their phone calls, the officer say they are "completely apolitical, neutral. Governments come and go but we work with all with equal dedication. We are only answerable to the law and constitution" Jun 17, 2018 16:35 (IST) What Happened With Chief Secretary Can Happen To Anyone Of Us: IAS Association The IAS association says it is being victimised for political purposes. On the alleged assault of Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash, the association said they are observing 5 minutes of silence to everyday will continue doing so. Jun 17, 2018 16:26 (IST) We Are Being Targeted, Misinformation Is Being Spread: IAS Association Accused by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of being on strike, the IAS association says that no bureaucrat is not on strike, and they are attending all meetings. "We are working on holidays as well," the association said in a press briefing. A week after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and three of his ministers began a sit-in protest at the Lieutenant Governor's Raj Niwas, the Aam Aadmi Party staged a protest march from Mandi House in New Delhi to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence. Delhi police claimed that it had not received permission for the march and imposed prohibitory orders in the residential areas. Exits of metro stations such as Patel Chowk, Udgyog Bhavan, Central Secretariat and Lok Kalyan Marg were shut on orders of Delhi Police.Delhi chief minister has accused the centre and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal of backing a four month-strike by IAS officers , who are protesting against the Kejriwal government.<doc-sep>The party had planned a march from Mandi House to the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday evening Ahead of the Aam Aadmi Party's scheduled protest at the Prime Minister's residence on Sunday evening, the party's leaders alleged that the police were telling workers not to join the march, while the Delhi Police said no permission had been sought for the protest. The AAP had announced on Wednesday that its leaders, including MPs, MLAs, councillors, and workers would stage a protest march to the Prime Minister's Office in support of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's demand that Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal put an end to the "strike" by State government officers. Mr. Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai have been staging a dharna inside Raj Niwas since Monday seeking the same. Also Read Delhi drama: four Opposition CMs rally behind Kejriwal Mr. Rai said in a tweet on Sunday morning that he had received information from different parts of Delhi that the police was trying to stop workers from reaching the march, which would start from Mandi House at 4 p.m. Mr. Kejriwal termed the police's alleged actions "shocking". The police, on the other hand, said the party did not have permission for the march. "The call given by @AamAadmiParty to march towards PM residence or office is without any permission. No permission has been applied for. As such areas of New Delhi district are under prohibitory orders. (sic)," the Delhi Police said on Twitter. In addition, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said in a statement that it had stopped entry and exit at Lok Kalyan Marg station, which is the closest to the PMO, from 12 noon on the advise of the police. The station would remain closed till further directions, it said. It later announced that four more stations - Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhavan and Janpath - will remain closed on Sunday from 2 p.m onwards till further directions. However, the interchange between Yellow and Violet Lines at Central Secretariat will function as usual.<doc-sep>Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's dharna (sit-in) at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's office entered the seventh day on Sunday. Kejriwal and his colleagues from AAP are protesting against bureaucrats refusal to meet Delhi ministers following an assault on Delhi secretary Anshu Prakash. Click here for live updates Auto refresh feeds Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said, "We came here to show our support to the Delhi chief minister, and to save the democratic system in the country. We demand that the prime minister should intervene in the issue." Following Kumaraswamy's address, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan is now speaking to the media. He said, "We are in solidarity with Kejriwal. All democratic-thinking people are with the Delhi chief minister." She also said that there is a 'political crisis.' West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said, "Delhi has a population of about 2 crore. The functioning of the state has been stopped for the last four months, and this is unfortunate. The Centre should not cross the line." 'If Delhi is in such a condition, what will happen to the rest of the country? ': Mamata Banerjee The West Bengal chief minister said that the four chief ministers had been waiting for three to four hours to meet Kejriwal. "We made appeals and requests, but to no avail," she said. Mamata says four CMs waited for 3-4 hours to meet Kejriwal While Naidu, Kumaraswamy and Vijayan spoke to the media for a short while, Mamata Banerjee had a detailed interaction and took several questions. CNN-News18 reports that the four chief ministers will not meet Arvind Kejriwal today. People will assemble at Mandi House at 4 pm and march to the PMO under the party banner to support Kejriwal and his ministers' sit-in. Accusing the Centre of misusing its powers to stop Delhi government from working, AAP said it would lead a massive protest march to the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday evening. The meeting comes a day after Mamata Banerjee, HD Kumaraswamy, N Chandrababu Naidu and Pinarayi Vijayan came out in support of Arvind Kejriwal. A crucial meeting of the NITI Aayog may turn out to be a platform for yet another show of strength by the Opposition as four non-NDA, non-Congress chief ministers may corner Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Delhi deadlock, according to News18. The prime minister added that the Governing Council has approached complex issues of governance as "Team India", in the spirit of cooperative, competitive federalism. He described the smooth rollout and implementation of GST as a prime example of this. Narendra Modi today delivered the opening remarks at the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog. He said that the Governing Council is a platform that can bring about "historic change." At NITI Aayog, Modi says Governing Council approached complex issues of governance as 'Team India' After Arvind Kejriwal slammed Delhi L-G following reports that he has gone to the NITI Aayog meet, Amitabh Kant clarified that Anil Baijal is not present at the meeting. Senior BJP leader Vijay Goel said the four leaders "are in the national capital to attend the NITI Aayog meeting and not to do politics. It doesn't suit them". Criticising the decision of four non-NDA chief ministers to extend support to Kejriwal, the BJP has questioned why they did not object to the assault on Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash. Metro station restrictions are also in place. No entry/exit will be available at Lok Kalyan Marg metro station on Sunday from 12 pm onwards till further directions. In view of AAP's plan to lead a protest march to the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday evening, police personnel will be deployed on various routes leading to the PMO, a police offiicial told The Indian Express . At the time of protest, the exit gates at Udyog Bhawan, Lok Kalyan Marg, Patel Chowk and Central Secretariat will be closed, Madhur Verma, DCP New Delhi, told ANI. Metro restrictions in place as AAP plans to march to PMO Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said he has not "authorised" L-G Anil Baijal to attend the NITI Aayog meeting in his place after a report claimed the presence of the Constitutional head at the meeting. However, NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant described the report as "totally incorrect". Delhi Metro will keep its Lok Kalyan Marg station shut on Sunday as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to march to the Prime Minister's residence located nearby. "As advised by police, no entry or exit will be available at Lok Kalyan Marg station (from 12 pm)," the DMRC said. - IANS AAP leader Arunoday Prakash said that Arvind Kejriwal, Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai will not participate in Sunday's protest march. They will continue the sit-in protest at L-G office, he added. "Those who are not listening to the elected chief minister will never listen to a common man ever. This is a beginning of dictatorship and an attempt to end democracy. Our fight is to save the Constitution. It is an undeclared Emergency," Rai told IANS. Accusing the Narendra Modi government of not paying attention to Delhi's elected government, Delhi Cabinet minister Gopal Rai said such a regime will never listen to the common man and dubbed the current situation an "undeclared Emergency". 11 Balmiki and Safai Karamchari organisations have pledged their support to Kejriwal's demand for full statehood for Delhi. Manual scavenging is a caste-based occupation and the major social organisations centred on cleanliness have pledged their support to Kejriwal. The AAP is holding the march to support the sit-in of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues at the lieutenant governor's office for the last six days demanding him to direct IAS officers to end their "strike". - PTI Hours before the Aam Aadmi Party's protest march to the prime minister's residence, the Delhi Police said no permission was sought for it, even as AAP leaders alleged that party supporters were being prevented from taking part in the rally. "Police has got several metro stations closed down.<doc-sep>Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders accompanied by thousands of party workers marched towards the Prime Minister’s residence on Sunday to support the ongoing sit-in protest at lieutenant governor Anil Baijal’s office by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers. The marchers walked from Mandi House in central Delhi before being stopped by police near the Parliament Street police station. AAP supporters demanded that the ongoing IAS officers’ strike be brought to an end and the doorstep ration delivery scheme be approved by the L-G. Five Metro stations were shut as a precautionary measure ahead of the march. Urging city bureaucrates to attend meetings called by ministers, Kejriwal said that he would ensure the safety and security of officers “with all powers available at his command”. “It is my duty… the officers are a part of my family. I would urge them to stop boycott of elected government, return to work and start attending all meetings of ministers, respond to their calls and messages and join them for field inspections. They should work without fear or pressure. They should not come under any pressure from any sources, whether state or central government or any political party,” Kejriwal said in a statement, his first such on the ongoing stand-off between the government and bureaucracy. Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai have stayed put for a week at Raj Niwas to demand that the L-G order the IAS officers to end their alleged strike. The CM’s statement came in response to safety concerns flagged by the IAS?Association at a press conference on Sunday. Denying that they were on strike, the IAS officers said there was an atmosphere of “fear” and “mistrust” in the bureaucracy in the national capital. “Whatever gathering or meeting it is, we don’t feel safe, (hence) we don’t attend. However, we are attending all statutory meetings. The misinformation, which is being spread, that we are on strike is completely false and baseless. We are all at work, conducting all public inspections, attending meetings. Everybody is working to their utmost sincerity, vigour and dedication,” the association’ s secretary Manisha Saxena said. Saxena is divisional commissioner of Delhi and holds several charges in various departments. The IAS officers are likely to meet on Monday to discuss the next course of action. The officers said the bureaucrats were completely “apolitical” and “neutral” and worked according to the law and the Constitution, adding that it was unfortunate that they were being used to score political points. Kejriwal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step in and end the IAS officers’ strike and “let the elected government work”. The protest march also saw the presence of Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury who said that “federalism was being undermined”. The Shiv Sena and the NCP extended support to the AAP on the ongoing stand-off. Earlier in the day, Mamata Banerjee, N Chandrababu Naidu, HD Kumaraswamy and P Vijayan, the chief ministers of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, respectively, met Prime Minister Modi at a NITI Aayog meeting and requested him to resolve the stalemate. Banerjee later said in a tweet that she and the other three CMs “requested Hon’ble PM today to resolve the problems of Delhi government immediately”. Earlier in the morning, Kejriwal tweeted questioning how Baijal was attending the meeting in his place. “Under which provision of the Constitution does L-G have powers to replace the Chief Minister? I have not authorised him to go in my place,” Kejriwal tweeted. The claim was, however, refuted by NITI CEO Amitabh Kant saying that Baijal was not present at the meeting. After the four CMs extended their support to Kejriwal over his standoff with Baijal, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray spoke to the AAP leader over the phone on Sunday. Minutes after the call, Sena clarified its stand in a statement that read, “Kejriwal called Thackeray up and discussed the political situation in Delhi. Sena has not yet decided on the support to Kejriwal.” AAP sources said Thackeray expressed solidarity with the party’s fight.<doc-sep>
New Delhi: Hours before the Aam Aadmi Party’s protest march to the prime minister’s residence, the Delhi Police said no permission was sought for it as AAP leaders alleged that party supporters were being prevented from taking part in the rally. The AAP is holding the march to support the sit-in of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues at the lieutenant governor’s office for the last six days demanding him to direct Indian Administrative Service IAS officers to end their “strike”. The party leader had also accused the Centre of misusing its powers to stop Delhi government from working. “The call given by the AAP to march towards PM office or residence is without permission. No permission has been applied for. As such the areas under New Delhi district are under prohibitory orders,” a senior Delhi Police officer said. Four metro stations; Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk, Udyog Bhawan and Lok Kalyan Marg (Race Course) – will be closed to prevent AAP workers and supporters to reach Mandi House, venue of the march scheduled at 4 PM. The officer said preparations have been made to prevent the protestors from assembling at Mandi House. “Those trying to take out the march will be detained since no permission has been sought for it,” he said. A senior Delhi metro official said that entry and exit at the four stations falling in Lutyens’ Delhi zone will be closed from 2 pm onwards as per the advice of the Delhi Police. No entry and exit will be allowed at the Lok Kalyan Marg Metro station, closest to the PM’s residence, from 12 noon onwards, till further orders, the official said. However, the interchange facilities will continue at Central Secretariat, he said. Reacting on the development, the AAP leadership alleged that the Delhi police was trying to stop people from joining the march. “Police has got several Metro stations closed down. Barricades have been erected all over Delhi and police is going door to door asking people if they were going for the march. People are being stopped from going for the march,” Delhi AAP Chief Gopal Rai said. People, who have gathered at the offices and residences of MLAs, are being stopped from moving to Mandi House, alleged AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj. Deputy speaker of the Delhi assembly Rakhi Birla said that the situation in Delhi is “worse” than the Emergency. AAP leader Atishi Marlena alleged the Delhi police was working on the instruction of the PMO. “Obviously @DelhiPolice is under instructions from @PMOIndia. But they underestimate the power of the common man! Today the people of Delhi are going to show their strength to @PMOIndia! (sic),” she tweeted. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, along with his deputy Manish Sisodia, ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai, is sitting at the office of Lt Governor Anil Baijal for the past week, demanding him to direct IAS officers to end their “strike” and approve doorstep delivery scheme of his government. (PTI)