New Delhi, Mar 11 (PTI) A union representing anganwadi workers here on Friday said it will legally challenge the imposition of the Essential Services Management Act on protesting members and demanded that the government hold talks on their demands, including regularisation of services.

The Delhi State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union (DSAWHU) at a press conference also said that imposition of the Act was a "new tool of oppression'' and ''exploitation'' of anganwadi workers.

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Declaring services rendered by anganwadi workers as essential, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had on Wednesday imposed the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) for six months, prohibiting them for going on a strike following which the DSAWHU had temporarily suspended it.

The union has also questioned the move and said anganwadi workers are not recognised as government servants and the ESMA is only for government employees.

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Meanwhile, Delhi Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Kailash Gahlot visited two anganwadi centres in Humayunpur and Nizamuddin to understand the grievances of the staff there.

He interacted with anganwadi workers and helpers to discuss their demands and support required to maintain and upscale the services provided at these centres.

Gahlot, who was recently allotted the portfolio, was also accompanied by WCD officials.

"The entire anganwadi staff has promised to continue working to ensure the smooth functioning of all centres. I've also assured them that the Delhi government will do everything in its capacity to address and resolve their demands and grievances. I appeal to all workers who have still not returned, to resume duties. We will all have to work together to ensure a safer future for our children," he said.

The minister also chaired a meeting with officials after the visit.

He also urged senior officials of the WCD department to conduct regular visits to all centres to ensure efficient functioning, accountability and transparency within the department.

DSAWHU president Shivani Kaul said that the union has been on a strike for 38 days to demand increase in honorarium, respectable working hours and status as government employees.

After the ESMA was imposed, the union temporarily suspended the strike.

"First, we will get this unconstitutional and illegal imposition of ESMA revoked in the court of law, and if we do not get justice from the judiciary, then we will violate the ESMA by civil disobedience and resume the strike," she said at the press conference.

She also said that they would be happy if the court orders the government to regularise them by giving them the right to be an employee.

The DSAWHU said their strike had scared the AAP and the BJP.

While the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP is in power in Delhi, the BJP is in power at the Centre and in three municipal corporation in the city.

The union alleged that despite differences, the two parties had colluded to invoke ESMA on the striking employees.

"During the municipal elections in Delhi, 22,000 anganwadi workers will completely boycott both the AAP and the BJP. Not only will the families of the 22,000 anganwadi workers not vote for these two parties, but they will also make the masses aware of their truth," Kaul said.

She said that anganwadi workers will not allow BJP and AAP leaders to enter their areas for campaigning for the civic polls.

The date for the polls has not yet been announced.

"They (BJP and AAP) have no right to show their faces to us. They will be welcomed with garlands of shoes and slippers and with soot," Kaul said.

She said that it was because of their movement that the WCD department was taken away from Rajendra Pal Gautam.

"After the suspension of the union's strike, as soon as the anganwadi workers went to their respective centres for re-joining duties, attempts were made at many places by supervisors to get them to write apology letters forcibly. Not only this, attempts were also made at many centres to get signatures from women workers on blank papers. Such acts are not only illegal but they are also provocative," Kaul claimed.

Talking about Gahlot, who has said he wants to resolve the issues of anganwadi workers, she said that he should negotiate with them.

"The fact is, the Kejriwal government is frightened by the union's ''Nak Mein Dum Karo Abhiyan''. If the minister is really concerned about anganwadi workers then he should immediately negotiate with the representative union (DSAWHU), withdraw the intimidating letters and termination orders sent by the department to the striking anganwadi workers, and immediately stop the apology letter proceedings done by the CDPOs and supervisors and take action against the involved officials immediately," Kaul said.

She alleged that many anganwandi workers were handed termination letters, dated March 5, and were also given showcause notices bearing the same date.

"The termination letters and showcase notices had the same date. Isn't it illegal that termination notices were issued without asking for an explanation?" she asked.

Kaul said that on Thursday, a union delegation went to the lieutenant governor's office to resolve the problems faced by them.

"After making us wait for hours in the lieutenant governor''s office, an officer took the memorandum and said that we will seriously consider your demands," she said.

Delhi has a network of 10,897 anganwadi centres which are divided across 95 sanctioned projects and have 10,653 anganwadi workers and 10,890 anganwadi helpers.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)