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Thursday, Nov 02, 2006
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Sealing: Sheila targeted for her stance

Sujay Mehdudia

Traders accuse the Chief Minister of making `unwanted and unwarranted' statements

Photos: Sandeep Saxena

BANDH AND ITS EFFECT: A transport corporation bus being stoned by protesters on Wednesday, the third day of the Delhi bandh called against sealing.

NEW DELHI: Even as Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit maintained that it was for the Supreme Court to decide on the controversial sealing issue in the Capital, she came under fire from various traders' associations agitating on the city's roads and became the target of mob fury on the third day of the `Delhi bandh' on Wednesday.

As the day progressed and realisation dawned that things were getting out of control, Ms. Dikshit, who has been under constant attack for keeping silent on the issue of sealing and demolitions, became the target of the traders' fury.

They accused her of trying to provoke the situation through `unwanted and unwarranted' statements on the issue.

The mobs that took to the streets and held the citizens of Delhi to ransom during the day burnt effigies of the Chief Minister at various places blaming her for leading Delhi to such a pass.

The mobs were agitated that whenever there was an effort to resolve the situation, "Ms. Dikshit came out with something controversial to provoke the courts resulting in things getting out of control".

Photos: Sandeep Saxena

Traders and BJP workers block traffic at the Noida crossing.

The traders were also agitated that Ms. Dikshit "had always tried to wash her hands of the controversy and instead pointed an accusing finger towards the Union Government, especially Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy and his deputy Ajay Maken in order to settle political scores at the cost of livelihood of lakhs of people."

Political observers here say that during the entire course of the agitation so far, it is the Chief Minister who has faced the ire of the people and her effigies have been burnt. "Since no other Congress leader has been targeted, it is apparent that people are upset with her."

Interestingly, they added, Ms. Dikshit throughout the last 11 months of the controversy had maintained silence on the issue. Some Congressmen even levelled serious allegations against her for targeting her opponents — including her own Ministers — by launching a well-calculated campaign against them.

Ms. Dikshit was also among one of those who have opposed an amendment to the Constitution for incorporating the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006, into Schedule IX of the Constitution during a recent meeting of the Group of Ministers headed by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil.

On Tuesday, Ms. Dikshit reportedly stated that it was for the Supreme Court to take a decision on sealing as the Monitoring Committee appointed by it had submitted a report on the issue.

She continued to maintain the same stand inside the House on Wednesday when BJP MLA Vijay Jolly raised the issue even as the Congress legislators watched in silence.

Political observers say Ms. Dikshit's credibility has taken a beating.

They felt that an impression has gone round that she was behind all that was happening and she was not interested in getting relief for the traders whom she has often described as a BJP-backed lobby.

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