File Photo: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. (Press Trust of India)
The third sitting of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's 'janta darbar' today saw teachers, scientists and traders making a beeline for AAP's Kaushambi office looking to air their grievances and submit their petitions to him.
With about 500-odd people gathered for an audience with Mr Kejriwal, there was also a ruckus at the AAP office when a 50-strong traders' group tried to enter the premises directly, triggering protests by the others present.
Later, the traders' contingent sat on a dharna accusing the policemen of preventing them from meeting Mr Kejriwal. They finally were allowed to meet the chief minister in small groups.
"We requested the chief minister to phase out certain provisions in the Rent Act that has made our business miserable. This law is helping only land-grabbers," said one of the traders.
Many of those who had come to meet Mr Kejriwal were those seeking permanency of tenure. Among them were over two dozen guest teachers who also urged the chief minister to look into the "arbitrary" style of recruitment of the education department.
"He (Kejriwal) assured us that he would take up our issue with Manish Sisodia, who is in charge of the education portfolio. It is a ray of hope for us," said one of the participants at the janta darbar.
Trainee scientists of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and contractual workers of BSES Yamuna and Rajdhani also met Mr Kejriwal with similar demands.
"CSIR being governed by the Union government, Kejriwal has assured us that AAP would raise these issues in Parliament through the party's MPs," said Prasad, a trainee scientist.