Friday, March 31 2006 17:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Former Delhi Chief Minister Madanlal Khurana was today (Mar 31, 2006) detained along with some local BJP leaders as he led a protest against the MCD's drive to seal shops in a West Delhi area.

Khurana, recently suspended from BJP, was joined by several leaders of the local unit of the party, including Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Jagdish Mukhi, DayanandChandela, Subhash Sachdeva, Subhash Arya as also expelled party MLA Harsharan Singh Balli in protest against the sealing of shops in Raja Garden area.

The politicians along with other protestors were briefly detained by police when they attempted to break the seals the MCD put on the shops yesterday and tried to prevent MCD officials from carrying out further sealing.

Khurana later said he was giving a 15-day 'ultimatum' to the Centre to come out with an ordinance to solve the problem and he would sit on an indefinite hunger strike outside Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence.

"If the Maharashtra government can bring an ordinance to put an end to demolitions in Ulhasnagar area, why can't the Centre contemplate such a measure in Delhi to put an end to the suffering of Delhiites," he said.

Earlier, protesting against the sealing of shops in residential areas by the MCD, a huge crowd of irate traders lay seige on the civic body's office in Rajouri Garden in West Delhi.

Around 2000 protestors, shouting slogans, surrounded the MCD office and locked its gates. Police later reached the spot and opened the gates after dispersing the crowd.