Independent legislator and activist, Jignesh Mevani today led a large number of Corona warriors who have been dismissed by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.
Overlooking fears of a third wave, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation ordered the immediate dismissal of 1,100 employees who had been recruited during the Covid-19 pandemic.
These employees had been recruited on a contractual basis and were termed as Corona Warriors.
Mevani, an independent MLA from Vadgam along with a Congress leader went to the Municipal Corporation’s office at Danapith with a large number of employees to present their duty demands. They met the Mayor and handed over the application form.
The fired employees raised slogans and demanded their return to work. Mevani joined them in raising slogans such as, “Bhajap Sarkar Honsh Ma Aao, Karamchario Ne Paacha Lao” (BJP Government, come back to senses, get the employees back.”
Municipal Commissioner Mukesh Kumar allegedly locked the second-floor grill in the office as soon as he found out about the protest. As a result, some of the employees could not get out till the protest ended.
While talking to Team VoI, Jignesh Mevani said, “The Corona Warriors who put their lives at risk during the pandemic and served the public were dismissed in a minute by the government. If the intentions of the State Government and AMC were not wrong then they can hire them back within a minute. Before meeting the Mayor, we met the Health Minister and Municipal Commissioner also. It seems that the government does not intend to even confirm their employment, forget about increasing their term or making them permanent employees. This clearly means that when they needed the employees, they showered them with flowers from helicopter but as soon as their needs were fulfilled, the government showed them the door. This is the nature of the BJP Government,” said Mevani.
Mevani said that he will stand with the Corona Warriors in their fight. He also cited the example of the Farmers’ Protest.
Asked about the Rs 50,000 aid for the Corona Warriors, Mevani dismissed it as a fraud. He said that the figures put out in announcements, circulars don’t tally with what the health workers know.
