The Delhi Jal Board on Tuesday, 5 April, withdrew a circular that granted permission to Muslim employees to take a leave of around two hours every day during the month of Ramzan, or till the date of Eid-ul-Fitr is declared in May.
The permission was subject to the condition that the employees should complete their office work on time. However, on Tuesday, the Delhi Jal Board said that the circular has been withdrawn with immediate effect.
Why Was the Permission Withdrawn?
The authority revoked the permission after Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) Delhi spokesperson Vinit Goenka asked whether the circular amounted to “appeasement politics”.
Having a problem with the same, the chief of the BJP’s Delhi unit, Adesh Gupta, said that the decision showed the true face of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Gupta claimed, “On one hand, he is giving a 25 percent discount on liquor and has opened thousands of liquor shops during the period of Navratri…On the other hand, he is giving two hours’ leave to Delhi Jal Board employees for namaz during Ramzan. What is this, if not appeasement?”
The Delhi Jal Board is run by the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government.
NDMC Revokes Order
A day after issuing the order, the Welfare Department of the NDMC withdrew it. As per a circular dated 6 April, it stated, "Now, The Competent Authority, vide this order has decided to withdraw the above said Circular with immediate effect."
The earlier order was opposed by NDMC's Vice-Chairman Satish Upadhyay who said that such a directive was not secular.
The NDMC, which comes under the central government, had issued a circular on Tuesday which permitted all Muslim NDMC employees who observe fast to leave their offices at 4:30 pm during the month of Ramzan till 2 May.
(With inputs from PTI.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)