Rajnath Singh At His Side, BJP Lawmaker Maheish Girri Ends Hunger Strike

After a Union home minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh came to meet him on Tuesday evening outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s home, lawmaker Maheish Girri ended the hunger strike he was holding there since Sunday.

His protest started after the Chief Minister alleged that he was linked to the man arrested for murdering a New Delhi Municipal Council official MM Khan. Mr Girri had demanded that Mr Kejriwal withdraw his allegations and offer an apology.

Calling Mr Kejriwal “a problem” Mr Girri today said the home ministry will look into the matter and provide a reply, “since there is no one above the home ministry”.

While Mr Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party scoffed at Mr Girri’s protest, calling it a “drama”, the BJP rallied around the lawmaker. Earlier today, Union minister Dr Harshvardhan and senior BJP leader Satish Upadhyay had come to meet Mr Girri.

Mr Kejriwal said it was improper on the part of the Home Minister to visit the protest site and that instead he should meet the family of Khan.

MM Khan, an estate officer, was shot dead on May 16 — a day before he was to give an order on the terms of the lease of The Connaught, a four-star hotel. The hotel’s owner, Ramesh Kakkar, was arrested along with six others for the murder.

Mr Kejriwal and AAP had alleged that Mr Girri was has links with the arrested man and the police were trying to shield him. Days before the murder, Mr Kejriwal said, Ramesh Kakkar wrote to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, asking him to sack the official and that letter was forwarded by Mr Girri.

In a letter to Mr Jung, Mr Kejriwal had accused him of trying to “save” Mr Girri and NDMC vice-chairman Karan Singh Tanwar.