Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged the Centre to bring an Ordinance, if required, to protect traders from the ongoing sealing drive carried out by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led municipal corporations in the national Capital. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also held protests in all 70 assembly constituencies against the sealing drive.

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Kejriwal said the ongoing sealing drive has hit traders very hard and if not protected, large number of people will become jobless.

“I urge Centre 2 bring Ordinance, if reqd, 2 protect Delhi’s traders from sealing. Del govt offers all cooperation to Centre, whatever is needed. Economic situation already grim. Sealing has hit traders v hard. It is our duty to protect them. Else no of people wud become jobless,” Kejriwal tweeted.

Meanwhile, AAP leaders along with scores of volunteers and workers held protests across the city seeking an immediate end to the ongoing sealing drive.

Amidst the Delhi bandh call, the biggest protest held by the AAP was in Delhi’s business hub Chandni Chowk. Led by AAP Delhi convener and Labour Minister Gopal Rai, many local traders also joined the protest against the sealing drive and the Centre’s move to allow100 percent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail. Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain and former AAP legislator Alka Lamba also participated in the protest.

Addressing a press conference, Rai said unless municipal corporations provide details about the crores of rupees collected by them on the name of conversion charges from traders in the past, the fresh conversion and parking charges should be waived off.

Rai said if the BJP led civic bodies will not take a decision in this matter in the upcoming days, the AAP will gherao the Parliament House on 29 January.

Rai said that Tuesday’s strike and protest should be an eye-opener for the Centre that how much traders were affected by the ongoing sealing drive.

AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said that the Centre by issuing an ordinance to change the master plan of Delhi can easily stop the sealing drive in the Capital.

Bhardwaj said the Delhi government is ready to cooperate with the Centre and help the traders affected by the sealing.