FILE: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal (Press Trust of India photo)
Union minister Kiren Rijiju today accused Arvind Kejriwal of "character assassination" amid a bitter slugfest between the Delhi Chief Minister and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung over the promotion of a senior IAS officer.
The Kejriwal government has forcefully objected to the appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as Delhi's acting Chief Secretary - the topmost bureaucratic post in the state - by the Lt. Governor. It has accused her of using her post in the power department to work against public interest and in favour of the companies that supply power to the capital.
"The apprehension raised by the people of Delhi that the Kejriwal government will be more interested in spreading anarchy rather than governance is proving to be true. The act of character assassination being adopted by Kejriwal against one North-East lady IAS officer is condemnable... it is an insult to the people of Northeast," said the Minister of State for Home, who also belongs to the region.
AAP's Somnath Bharti, in a tweet, retorted, "BJP won't resist from using regionalism, religionalism n castism for political gains n making people fool (sic)."
The AAP government, which says the Lieutenant Governor is guilty of blatant overreach in ordering the officer's appointment, has accused him of endeavouring to stage a "coup" in the service of the BJP.
"My Q 2 Delhites - Shud a person perceived to be very close to bijli cos be made CS of Del? Shud elected CM have no say in selection? (sic)," Mr Kejriwal had tweeted on Saturday.
Mr Rijiju hit back, saying, "Merely because you are an elected government does not mean that you have overriding powers and work against rules and the Constitution."
The Lieutenant Governor refutes Mr Kejriwal's charges and insists that he is empowered to appoint government officers in Delhi. Mr Kejriwal says he has sought an appointment with the President for an urgent intervention.