Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his key ministers are busy campaigning in Goa and Punjab.
New Delhi:
Of Delhi's six ministers, all but one abandoned their day jobs to campaign in Punjab and Goa, where Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party hope to break into the big league.
Chief Minister Kejriwal in Goa; his deputy, Manish Sisodia, who handles 13 departments including Finance & Education, was in Punjab and returned today. The rest of the cabinet is divided between the two states that vote in less than two weeks. Over the weekend, only Environment Minister Imran Hussain remained at home base.
Accusing the cabinet of both mass and casual leave, the BJP today said it has dispatched 250 bikers to Punjab to "locate" the missing ministers. Delhi BJP unit president Manoj Tiwari and Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore flagged off, from New Delhi, over 250 bikers led by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) for Punjab.
"The people who were tasked to look after the problems of the people of Delhi are missing from the city. Chief Minister Kejriwal and all his Cabinet ministers have left the Secretariat vacant," said Manoj Tiwari, who heads the BJP in the capital. He said the bikers will also warn Punjab voters that should they choose Mr Kejriwal, he will "cheat" them like he has the people of Delhi- by defaulting on his duty to expand the AAP base elsewhere.
The party's lead campaigner, Mr Kejriwal is expected to return to Delhi on Tuesday and stay in the capital till the Republic Day on Jan 26. Government sources said it is a misdiagnosis to assume that the cabinet's absence is hurting the administration of Delhi.
"Work is not suffering in any way. The cabinet went out over the weekend and will be returning on Monday," said an official, who asked not to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media.
Last week, the cabinet - sans Mr Kejriwal - along with AAP lawmakers, was at the airport at 3 am to welcome volunteers who flew in to Delhi from Canada to campaign for the party in Punjab.
It's clear what the Chief Minister's priority is, said BJP leader Sambit Patra, cheekily comparing Mr Kejriwal's attendance in Delhi to his famous odd-even traffic experiment that allowed private cars on the road on alternate days.
"It was Mr Kejriwal's dream to spend odd days in Delhi, even days in Punjab, and in Goa during holidays," said Dr Patra.
April will see elections for the city's municipal corporation, which is currently held by the BJP. AAP has repeatedly complained that since it does not control the agency, it is impeded from initiating important changes that would improve Delhi. But instead of preparing for the civic election, AAP legislators are expected to spend the next few days in Punjab to amplify the party's campaign there.
Chief Minister Kejriwal in Goa; his deputy, Manish Sisodia, who handles 13 departments including Finance & Education, was in Punjab and returned today. The rest of the cabinet is divided between the two states that vote in less than two weeks. Over the weekend, only Environment Minister Imran Hussain remained at home base.
Accusing the cabinet of both mass and casual leave, the BJP today said it has dispatched 250 bikers to Punjab to "locate" the missing ministers. Delhi BJP unit president Manoj Tiwari and Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore flagged off, from New Delhi, over 250 bikers led by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) for Punjab.
"The people who were tasked to look after the problems of the people of Delhi are missing from the city. Chief Minister Kejriwal and all his Cabinet ministers have left the Secretariat vacant," said Manoj Tiwari, who heads the BJP in the capital. He said the bikers will also warn Punjab voters that should they choose Mr Kejriwal, he will "cheat" them like he has the people of Delhi- by defaulting on his duty to expand the AAP base elsewhere.
The party's lead campaigner, Mr Kejriwal is expected to return to Delhi on Tuesday and stay in the capital till the Republic Day on Jan 26. Government sources said it is a misdiagnosis to assume that the cabinet's absence is hurting the administration of Delhi.
"Work is not suffering in any way. The cabinet went out over the weekend and will be returning on Monday," said an official, who asked not to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media.
Last week, the cabinet - sans Mr Kejriwal - along with AAP lawmakers, was at the airport at 3 am to welcome volunteers who flew in to Delhi from Canada to campaign for the party in Punjab.
It's clear what the Chief Minister's priority is, said BJP leader Sambit Patra, cheekily comparing Mr Kejriwal's attendance in Delhi to his famous odd-even traffic experiment that allowed private cars on the road on alternate days.
"It was Mr Kejriwal's dream to spend odd days in Delhi, even days in Punjab, and in Goa during holidays," said Dr Patra.
April will see elections for the city's municipal corporation, which is currently held by the BJP. AAP has repeatedly complained that since it does not control the agency, it is impeded from initiating important changes that would improve Delhi. But instead of preparing for the civic election, AAP legislators are expected to spend the next few days in Punjab to amplify the party's campaign there.
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