Delhi Drain Deaths: AAP Protests, Demands LG's Resignation; Cong Slams Kejriwal Govt For 'Making Excuses'

AAP has been blaming Delhi LG VK Saxena-led DDA for the drain deaths incident in east Delhi, while LG said that the drain comes under the jurisdiction of MCD, which is led by the Kejriwal government.

The Aam Aadmi Party leaders and workers on Saturday staged a protest near Delhi Lt. Governor V K Saxena's residence Raj Niwas, demanding his resignation over the deaths of a woman and her son, who died after falling into a water-logged drain in east Delhi. They also demanded the suspension of the officials of Delhi Development Authority, who were responsible for the incident. Amidst this, Congress lashed out at the Arvind Kejriwal government saying that the AAP party was elected to govern and for making excuses.

The Delhi government has been blaming LG Saxena for the unfortunate deaths, claiming that the drain comes under the jurisdiction of DDA, which is headed by the LG. While LG on the other hand, blamed AAP-led government for the deaths, claiming that the drain comes under the AAP-led Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

"The woman and her son drowned in the drain of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which is controlled by the LG," AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar said during the protest. He also stated that "This was a murder, not an accident and the officers responsible for it should be charged with murder."

 Sharing the videos from the protest on X, AAP blamed LG-led DDA for its negligence that caused the deaths.

"Aam Aadmi Party today held a massive protest at LG Secretariat against Modi's puppet LG to get justice for mother and son. Until LG resigns and the mother-son get justice, AAP will continue to fight this battle against LG," it wrote.

A 22-year-old woman, Tanuja, and her three-year-old son, Priyansh, had slipped into a a drain and drowned in the Khoda Colony in the Ghazipur area of east Delhi, while they had gone to a weekly market. 

In another post on X, AAP said: "We will not let LG take the lives of Delhiites anymore, LG sahab should resign."

The protesting workers raised slogans demanding LG's resignation as they marched towards the Raj Niwas. However, they were stopped by police at a barricade.

Delhi Govt Blames LG's DDA, Saxena Says Drain Belongs To AAP's MCD

Delhi LG on Friday had also accused AAP leaders of issuing misleading, deliberately false, and improper statements that the woman and her son had drowned in a DDA drain, news agency PTI reported.

"While this is undoubtedly another example of abuse and scoot typical of the AAP and its leadership, the fact of the matter is that the drain in which the unfortunate incident of drowning happened at Khoda colony belonged to the MCD under the control of AAP," the LG office said, adding that the "1,000-metre drain was neither desilted nor covered."

"The total length of the drain is 1,350 metres, out of which 1,000 metres falls in the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which was handed over to it by the DDA on April 17, 2023," the LG office said.

However, AAP said that the drain, which falls under the jurisdiction of MCD, transferred by the DDA, ends 25-30 metres away from the accident spot.

"The drain maintained by DDA is at the entrance of the market, covered by RCC slabs, had an open manhole in which the child and the mother fell," AAP said in a statement.

"The LG should stop misleading the public, and accept accountability and announce compensation for the bereaved family," it added. 

'Elected To Govern, Not To Give Excuses': Congress Lashes At AAP 

Meanwhile, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit visited the spot where the locals were protesting after the drain deaths on July 31.

While there, Dikshit said:  "The incident is very unfortunate...The two parties (BJP and AAP) are busy levelling allegations against each other. They don't care about the public of Delhi...The elected government and officials should learn something from this incident..."

He further went on to say that "AAP only cares about winning elections, they don't care about the public of Delhi."

Lashing out at the Delhi government for giving excuses, the Congress leader said: "It’s a collapsed administration and infrastructure. You have a Chief Minister (Arvind Kejriwal) who is in jail, who refuses to do any work and refuses to give up his post. There are ministers who will blame everybody else. Before this, the MCD was not with AAP, they could raise fingers there, now they have found some convenient excuse with the DDA. You are elected to govern, you are not elected to give excuses."

'Delhi Has Become Unsafe Since Monsoon Began': NCPCR

In another similar incident, an eight-year-old boy fell into a sewer in Delhi's Defence Colony area on Friday. The lid of the sewer was covered with a plyboard, and when the child stepped on it, it broke, causing him to fall into the sewer.

Fortunately, he was promptly rescued and did not sustain any injuries.

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights Chairperson Priyank Kanungo claimed that Delhi was becoming an unsafe place for children.

"Delhi has become an unsafe place for children since the monsoon season began. Yesterday a child fell into a drain which had been covered with a piece of cardboard... Three days ago, a mother and son fell into a drain while returning home and died. Delhi is becoming an unsafe place for children," he said.