NEW DELHI:
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwalembraced the "anarchist" slur being hurled at him by his detractors on Monday after he, in a sudden turn of events, began squatting outside Rail Bhavan and urged people to join him there in large numbers. Political observers said this could well mark the informal beginning of AAP's campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.
Kejriwal's dharna began soon after his deadline for the Centre to suspend five policemen went unheeded and he was stopped on his way to North Block.
This set off a game of nerves between Kejriwal and the Centre as the area was swamped by policemen and other security personnel withAAP supporters jostling with them for the better part of the day.
With Republic Day less than a week away and security forces poised to take over the area, there was palpable tension in the air. Kejriwal has rejected all pleas to move to Jantar Mantar since Section 144 has been imposed in the area. He kept everyone guessing by first asking for suspension of the cops, then softening his stand and saying transfers would be acceptable and later spreading the word that he was in this for a long haul and would settle for nothing less than the police being placed under Delhi government.
"Yes, I am an anarchist. There is unrest in every house. Now we have to spread this unrest in the homes of Union home ministerSushilkumar Shinde and the police commissioner," said a charged Kejriwal as he hopped on to a transformer inside a park and addressed his supporters. He, in fact, has threatened to disrupt Republic Day celebrations and said that a country cannot celebrate when its women are under assault. He also asked upright police officials to take leave and join him in his protest. "I promise, in case the commissioner harasses you because of this, mein unhe dekh loonga," he said.
Though he had initially asked people to stay away - four Metro stations were still closed as a precaution - he quickly changed his mind and invited people to come and join him. As some heeded his call, traffic was thrown out of gear in the area and commuters were put to severe hardship.
Delhi Police, like the rest of the city, were caught unawares with Kejriwal's u-turn. The initial 1,000-strong deployment had to be beefed up to 4,000 personnel and several companies of paramilitary troops and rapid action force by noon. Traffic was also thrown out of gear with several roads in central Delhi blocked by the police who tried to prevent supporters from reaching the protest site. Four metro stations also remained closed, adding to further chaos. Several people working in the area had to park their vehicles at least 500 m away from the offices and walk down.
While the cops remained tightlipped about their strategy, sources told TOI that a forceful eviction on Wednesday was on the cards. "We are ready with back-up teams and waiting for the MHA's nod. Either they can be shifted to Jantar Mantar or completely pushed out of the high security area," said an officer, adding that leaves of police personnel stands cancelled in the wake of the growing security concern.
Top Delhi police officers said the dharna has become a huge security threat as mischief makers had easy access to the high security area posing as AAP volunteers. "The area needs to be sanitized before the military takes over on January 23. Several areas are already under the paramilitary. We cannot have people protesting in this area in wake of the VVIPs and the important dignitaries who are scheduled to attend the parade," said another senior officer.
By:The Times of India