AAP slams LG's choice of acting chief secretary

The AAP government on Friday lashed out at Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung for appointing a bureaucrat, who allegedly lobbied for power distribution companies, as the chief secretary-in-charge.

Jung on Friday gave Secretary (Services), Shakuntala Gamlin the additional charge of chief secretary of Delhi since the incumbent Chief Secretary K. K. Sharma is in the US for personal work.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led government in a statement accused Jung of bypassing the elected government and called the appointment as "completely unconstitutional".

"The lieutenant governor by-passed the elected government, the chief minister and deputy chief minister (who also acts as the minister in-charge of services department)," the statement said.

"Hon'ble lieutenant governor does not have the extra-ordinary powers under the constitution to bypass the elected government and issue instructions directly to the secretaries, whatever be the provocation," the government said in the statement.

It said Gamlin "was perceived to be extremely close to electricity companies in Delhi and was lobbying for their interests within the government".

It went on to say that the government "has certain reservations about the conduct of Smt. Shakuntala Gamlin because of which the Government was hesitant to given the additional charge of Chief Secretary to her".

"However, the Hon'ble Lieutenant Governor, in a completely unconstitutional manner appointed Smt. Shakuntala Gamlin, to this position," it added.

"The Government of NCT of Delhi had certain reservations about the conduct of Smt. Shakuntala Gamlin because of which the government was hesitant to given the additional charge of Chief Secretary to her," it added.