The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has strongly alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) compelled staff members of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), including sanitation workers and school teachers, to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Delhi by threatening them with suspension and even cancelling their weekly Sunday holiday. According to AAP’s claim, several MCD employees were warned that refusal to attend could lead to disciplinary action or dismissal, leaving them with no choice but to comply with the orders.
The rally in question took place in Rohini, where Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Dwarka Expressway and the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II), projects estimated to be worth around ₹11,000 crore, before addressing a large gathering. AAP alleged that the turnout was artificially inflated by forcing government employees to be present, rather than relying solely on political workers and supporters.
To substantiate its claims, AAP released videos on social media. In one such clip, a speaker accused the BJP of issuing what he termed a “Tughlaqi order,” stating that workers were threatened with suspension or termination if they failed to show up. He described the move as blatant intimidation and “hooliganism” by the BJP government in Delhi against sanitation employees who were coerced into attending. Another video featured a sanitation worker who explained that he had pressing personal responsibilities but was nonetheless forced to attend and made to sit under pressure, with warnings issued against disobedience.
Former Deputy Chief Minister and Delhi Education Minister, Manish Sisodia, also criticized the move, calling it a humiliation for teachers. He condemned the act of sending teachers to clap at a political rally, stressing that educators are nation-builders and not meant to serve as mere crowd fillers. Contrasting the approaches of the two parties, Sisodia highlighted that the AAP government had historically invested in sending teachers to global institutions such as Finland and Cambridge for training, while accusing the BJP of reducing them to a cheering audience at a political event.
Saurabh Bhardwaj, AAP’s state president, reinforced these allegations in a press conference, asserting that MCD employees and other staff were pressured into attending because the BJP lacked sufficient party workers to fill the venue. He further claimed that sanitation staff, malaria department workers, licensing branch employees, and even MCD school teachers were bused in large numbers to ensure a sizable turnout.
Atishi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, echoed the criticism by accusing the BJP of exploiting MCD staff for political purposes. She argued that sanitation workers had been wrongfully used as political tools, questioning the rationale behind calling them to duty on a Sunday and then sending them to a rally instead of allowing them their rightful day off. Atishi asked the BJP to clarify whether the responsibility of MCD employees was to perform civic duties or to artificially swell the audience at Prime Minister Modi’s rally.
