Rahul Gandhi to MCD workers: 'Suit-Boot' people and AAP suppressing poor (Update)

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said he would always stand up for the poor people of India, who he felt were being suppressed by the 'Suit-Boot' Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA Government at the Centre and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi.

Gandhi, who met the MCD employees outside his 12, Tughlak Lane, residence here, reiterated that the demands of sanitation workers must be met.

"If BJP says it is the responsibility of AAP and AAP says it is the responsibility of BJP, but I had said that I will stand with them whenever they will need me," Gandhi told the media here.

"I was standing with them yesterday and I am ready to fight for them whenever required. My thinking says that when a state runs, then everyone should walk collectively. Be it rich or poor and I will

promote the same. Wherever the 'suit boot' people or Aam Aadmi members are trying to suppress the poor people, I will stand for them," he added.

The MCD employees handed over a petition to the Congress vice president in which they listed their grievances.

Gandhi spent a considerable amount of time hearing their issues and promised to take steps to resolve them at the earliest.

Gandhi had yesterday joined a striking sanitation workers' dharna outside the East Delhi Municipal Corporation headquarters and slammed both the Delhi Government and the Centre for not solving their problems.

Massive amounts of garbage are piled up in various parts of the city after the sanitation workers in Delhi went on a strike because of non-payment of salaries for the last three months.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had last week said that his government would release Rs. 500 crores to Delhi's civic bodies to clear the pending salaries of MCD workers.

One has to take note of the fact that, even though the Delhi Government is run by the AAP, the control of the municipalities lie with the BJP.