Kejriwal hosts sanitation workers urges people to honour their efforts

    New Delhi, Nov 27 (PTI) AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday invited sanitation workers to his residence for tea and emphasised the need to respect their hard work and dedication.
    The former Delhi chief minister also encouraged people to honour sanitation workers and contribute to making the national capital clean and beautiful.
    In a post on X he said, "Today, I invited the sanitation workers of my area to my home for tea. I understood the challenges they face in their lives. They serve us with a smile every day, and keep our areas clean."
    "You should also invite them to your home, and spend time with them. Only when we all come together, our dream of a clean and beautiful Delhi will be fulfilled," he said in Hindi.
    The BJP hit out at Kejriwal for organising the event, calling him a "master" of political event management.
    On Tuesday, the AAP's foundation day, Kejriwal had asked party MLAs and councillors to invite sanitation workers to their homes for tea.
    The sanitation workers invited by Kejriwal also appreciated his gesture.
    Sanjay, a sanitation worker, told PTI Videos, "We are happy that we are now getting salaries on time and our backlog payments have been cleared after AAP's victory in the MCD elections."
    AAP assumed control of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in December 2022.
    Rajeev, another sanitation worker, said, "It feels special to be honoured like this. We also discussed concerns such as unemployment as our children are in 12th grade or college and need opportunities."
    Sarita, who was also in attendance, acknowledged the AAP's efforts in regularising 4,000 workers but urged the government to extend the benefit to others still waiting.
    The AAP supremo drew criticism for the event, with Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor saying, "Kejriwal should note that no matter how many media events he may organise, the Balmiki safai karamcharis will not vote for AAP in the 2025 elections."
    Kapoor claimed only a small delegation of around 15 safai karamcharis regularly associated with AAP activities visited Kejriwal's residence.
    AAP is aiming for a third consecutive term in the Delhi Assembly, elections which are expected in early 2025.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)