On Friday, LG accused city Environment Minister Gopal Rai of "lying" about the date of its launch and Rai questioning the lieutenant governor's seriousness about the pollution issue.
Setting the stage for a fresh confrontation with LG V K Saxena, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi had said on Thursday it is postponing the launch of the campaign as the LG's office is yet to approve it.
Sources in the LG's office said on Friday that Rai did not speak the truth about the date of the campaign launch and claimed that the AAP did so to coerce Saxena into taking a decision.
On the other hand, Rai accused Saxena of making excuses for not giving a timely approval for the campaign and questioned his seriousness about curbing pollution in the national capital.
The month-long "Red Light On, Gaadi Off" campaign aims at encouraging drivers to turn off the ignition of their vehicles while waiting at traffic signals.
Rai had claimed on Thursday that the file on the campaign was sent to Saxena on October 21. The sources said Saxena was out of office due to prior commitments on Thursday. "The 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' campaign has been successful in previous years. The month-long campaign was set to be launched tomorrow for this year but no approval has been received so far. The file was sent to the LG on October 21," Rai said.
AAP protestors gather around LG residence
Meanwhile, several leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday staged a protest outside the residence of Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena for not approving the file to proceed with the 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' campaign.
The protesters gathered at Raj Niwas Marg with placards and raised slogans against Saxena. Security presence outside Saxena's residence has been beefed up. Police personnel have been deployed and water canons kept on standby.
(With inputs from agencies)
