Fri Nov 29 20:08:17 UTC 2024: ## Delhi Assembly Sees Heated Debate Over Dismissal of 10,000 Bus Marshals
**New Delhi, November 30, 2024** – The final session of the Delhi Assembly witnessed a heated exchange between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the dismissal of 10,000 bus marshals. AAP Chief Minister Atishi accused the BJP of undermining the role of the marshals, alleging that the BJP first stopped their salaries, then dismissed them, and now is blocking their reinstatement. She offered to campaign for BJP MLA Vijender Gupta if he secures the Lieutenant-Governor’s (L-G) approval for their reinstatement, even promising not to field an AAP candidate against him in Rohini.
BJP MLA Vijender Gupta countered these claims, stating that the dismissal order was issued by then-Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in October 2023 and that the AAP was misleading the marshals. He labeled the Chief Minister’s offer a “new drama.”
The controversy stems from the L-G’s October 2023 dismissal of the civil defence volunteers serving as bus marshals, citing an “improper recruitment process.” While the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, headed by the L-G, decided in September 2024 to reinstate them for pollution-mitigation duties, the process remains incomplete.
The debate further escalated into broader accusations regarding Delhi’s law and order situation. AAP MLAs targeted the BJP, while Mr. Gupta retaliated with allegations against the AAP, leading to Speaker Ram Niwas Goel expelling Mr. Gupta from the Assembly and expunging his remarks from the records. Chief Minister Kejriwal directly blamed Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the deteriorating law and order situation in the national capital. The Assembly session ended with the fate of the 10,000 bus marshals remaining unresolved.
First Piper 