– Yatharth Sikka
One one hand the Jhandewalan Temple Trust and volunteers of Sewa Bharati work round the clock to run a community kitchen and prepare food for the needy, especially the migrants affected by the lockdown. On the other hand, the Delhi government under Kejriwal which is accused of leaving the migrants in the lurch is trying to claim the credit for the work of the temple trust and Sewa Bharati.
Organiser went on the ground to ascertain the facts about the community kitchen which the Kejriwal govt was trying to credit itself for. The kitchen is run by the Jhandewalan temple trust and Delhi Sewa Bharti. This kitchen has been cooking food for nearly 30 thousand people daily from the last ten days.
Amidst nationwide lockdown against the Wuhan Virus, a section of the mainstream media in an aim to be in the good books of the Kejriwal government, showcased the Delhi governments ‘ initiatives to feed the needy and underprivileged during lockdown. However, AaajTak, a leading TV channel claimed that the Delhi government is providing free food to people at the Jhandewalan Temple.
Organiser spoke to Bhupendra, a full-time volunteer of Delhi Sewa Bharati who refuted the claims of the TV channel. Bhupendra informed that the kitchen was set up on March 22 and has been running continuously since then. The kitchen set-up by the Jhandewalan Temple trust and Delhi Sewa Bharti is preparing daily food for 30,000 people. He categorically said that no third party is involved in the operation of the kitchen.
Bhupendra, a full-time volunteer of Delhi Sewa Bharati who refuted the claims of the TV channel
The Kejriwal government faced severe criticism for the exodus of migrant workers. The kejriwal government is accused of leaving the migrants at the Delhi- Uttar Pradesh border and putting their health at risk, amidst the lockdown to contain the Coronavirus.
The Yogi Adityanath government took immediate action of commissioning 1000 buses to take the migrant workers waiting at the border to their respective villages. The Uttar Pradesh government accused Arvind Kejriwal government of doing dirty politics, spreading rumours, risking the lives of migrants and the whole country during the Corona crises.
However, after Delhi Sewa Bharti volunteers’ quick rebuttal, the aforementioned TV channel promptly corrected its report, and credited the Jhandewalan Temple Trust for feeding food to 30,000 people each day. The article now states that various ‘non-governmental organisations’ have taken an initiative to help and feed the migrant workers.
