This Article is From May 22, 2015

Centre Backs Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Virtually Every Point of Dispute With Arvind Kejriwal

Centre Backs Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Virtually Every Point of Dispute With Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief MInister Arvind Kejriwal (Press Trust of India photo)

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been told clearly by the central government that it is not essential for him to be consulted by the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Najeeb Jung, on matters like the appointment of key bureaucrats.

The Lieutenant Governor, "may,  in his discretion, obtain the views of the Chief Minister... wherever he deems it appropriate," said the Centre's statement, which endorses virtually every point Mr Jung has made against Mr Kejriwal in the last few days.

"This shows the BJP's nervousness about anti-graft efforts," tweeted Mr Kejriwal after the Centre's notification was issued. Earlier this week, he wrote to the PM alleging that his party, the BJP, is trying to govern Delhi through the Lieutenant Governor.

The detailing of the division of powers is an attempt to close out the lengthy feud between the Chief Minister and the Lieutenant Governor, who have spent the last week appointing and removing bureaucrats to prove who is really entitled to call the shots.

The Centre backs the Lieutenant Governor in his posit that as the representative of the union government in Delhi, he is the authority for the Delhi Police, issues related to Land, and the postings of key government officers.

The notification comes after a detailed discussion yesterday between Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Kejriwal has claimed that an elected government cannot be saddled with bureaucrats against its choice, a stand that has been backed by other heads of state governments.

The furious contest yielded many debating points linked to what the Constitution provides for Delhi, which is a union territory and not a full state.

Mr Kejriwal and the Lieutenant Governor, whose working relationship has never been smooth, plummeted into their latest battle over an IAS officer described by the Chief Minister as a "lobbyist for power companies". She was picked by Mr Jung as Acting Chief Secretary or the senior-most bureaucrat in the Delhi government.
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