Delhi Jal Board Withdraws ‘two hours’ Leave to Muslim Employees During Ramzan

Few knew that the Delhi Jal Board had granted “short leave” of two hours a day to its Muslim employees during the month of Ramzan, till it publicly withdrew it on Tuesday. When it was offered the two hour leave was granted on the condition that the employees must complete their designated work on time.

The board, which comes under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) run Delhi Government has not yet given any reason for the withdrawal. However it has come under severe criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the right wing ecosystem. Some right-wing aligned Twitter users asked if the DJB gave “leave to Hindus fasting for Navratri”, even though the nature of the two fasts is very different.

The BJP has accused the water supply body “of appeasement politics”. Now the Delhi Jal Board has made it official that the easter circular has been “withdrawn with immediate effect.” Leading the criticism of the circular was Bharatiya Janata Party’s Delhi spokesperson Vinit Goenka. 

The Delhi unit BJP’s Adesh Gupta, attacked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying, “He is giving a 25% discount on liquor and has opened thousands of liquor shops during the period of Navratri.” Gupta alleged that Kejriwal, was "giving two hours" leave to Delhi Jal Board employees for namaz during Ramzan and accused him of “appeasement”.

His criticism here was of the Delhi government allowing private liquor stores to give discounts up to 25%. This came after the government had told shops to discontinue the discount on liquor on February 28, reportedly because “it was causing law and order problems due to overcrowding and unhealthy market practices.” According to news reports, on Monday, South Delhi Mayor Mukkesh Suryaan had said that he wrote to Kejriwal, asking that “discounts on alcohol during Navratri” be stopped as should the sale.