New Delhi:
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi to explain "how can one person call himself the government".
In a letter sent earlier this week, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung said his post is "the constitutionally valid and consistent definition of 'government'." His assessment was made as he objected to his approval not being sought by the Chief Minister while appointing the head of a women's rights panel in Delhi.
Mr Kejriwal, who was elected with a record mandate in February, winning all but three seats in Delhi, has been demanding that the Lieutenant Governor and the union government back off from the governance of Delhi.
The Chief Minister says he must be allowed to appoint top posts; the Lieutenant Governor, backed by the union government, says appointments are his prerogative. The Delhi High Court is now hearing the matter, based on Mr Kejriwal's petition.
The tug-of-war over filling top offices has delivered embarrassing and ugly consequences, with senior bureaucrats finding themselves locked out of their offices. At one time, the anti-corruption bureau of Delhi, meant to investigate complaints against government officers, found itself bestowed with two different chiefs selected by Mr Kejriwal and the Lieutenant Governor.
As a Union Territory, key parts of Delhi's administration including its police force rest with the union government. Mr Kejriwal, like other Chief Ministers before him, says this greatly hamstrings his government's ability to perform.