Kejriwal writes to Modi, says Centre bypassing AAP

Urges to let govt work independently

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arguing that the Central government, through Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, was restricting the independence of the Delhi government.

The echo of the Kejriwal-Jung face-off reached Modi’s doorstep on a day when Jung cancelled all appointments of senior officials by the Delhi government in the last four days and wrote to the Chief Minister conveying his Constitutional superiority in appointment and other issues in the Union Territory.

Earlier, Kejriwal wrote to Modi that the Centre was trying to “unconstitutionally” rule Delhi through the Lieutenant Governor, bypassing the elected AAP government.The Chief Minister urged the Prime Minister to “allow the Delhi government to work independently under the constitutional scheme”.

Kejriwal’s letter follows his meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday over the sharing of power with the L-G. Jung also met Mukherjee separately.

The Chief Minister insisted in his letter to Modi that the elected Delhi government must have a say in the distribution of work to senior officials. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh met Mukherjee and said the L-G and the chief minister should sit together and find a solution. The current crisis over sharing of power has been precipitated by the recent appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as the acting Chief Secretary of Delhi by the L-G, despite Kejriwal’s disapproval.

In the afternoon, the Delhi government briefed secretaries, principal secretaries and heads of various departments not to “blindly” follow Jung’s orders and fearlessly follow the constitutional provisions. 

Some officials also shared their views on the conventions and the solutions for ending the current impasse involving the Raj Niwas.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia shared the Kejriwal government’s views on the interpretation of the provisions in the Constitution, the Government of NCT of Delhi Act and Transaction of Business Rules of the Delhi government.

At a public function earlier, Kejriwal promised his supporters to deliver the goods even when “everybody has united against us”.