New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal may have called off his protest near Raj Path as a facesaver after two policemen were sent on leave, but the real reasons behind the scenes have now begun to emerge.
There were reports that the Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh on Tuesday met Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth to convey to him that thousands of crores of rupees worth tanks, ammunitions and hardware would be at risk, if the AAP protesters were not removed from the vicinity of Raj Path immediately.
The full dress rehearsal of Republic Day Parade is going to take place on Thursday (Jan 23) and as part of security arrangements, the entire area is sanitized by police, which was busy holding off thousands of AAP supporters with fragile barricades.
Delhi Police was mulling a midnight crackdown on Kejriwal and his men on Tuesday night itself, but , in the meantime, the Lt Governor's announcement sending two policemen on leave came as a facesaver for Kejriwal, who immediately called off his protest and asked his supporters to leave the area.
Kejriwal did not want a repeat of June 5 crackdown on Swami Ramdev and his supporters at Ramlila Maidan, and opted for beating a retreat.
The Centre, which had been watching the two-day-long spectacle, finally blinked and agreed to send two policemen on leave, to shake off Kejriwal and his men from its back.
