In L-G Saxena, AAP finds a relentless enemy hitting it where it hurts most

Lieutenant Governor of Delhi V K Saxena and the AAP government in Delhi led by Arvind Kejriwal are on a warpath. Both seem to have their arsenal ready to fire at each other at regular intervals. In fact, every chief minister of the national capital has had their share of battles with every L-G in their time. It is the nature of the power equation: The L-G feels he is the master while the Delhi government invariably views the L-G as ‘more loyal than the king’ and meddlesome. Hence, a tussle between the two is nothing new. Except this time the battle between Arvind Kejriwal and V K Saxena is more intense than ever as the attacks have now turned personal and political.

Saxena, who was sworn in as Delhi L-G in May this year, has set in motion a process to sue a clutch of senior AAP leaders, including its Rajya Sabha floor leader Sanjay Singh and MLAs Atishi, Durgesh Pathak and Saurabh Bhardwaj, for levelling charges of corruption and nepotism against him. He has not spared Kejriwal either, and has termed allegations against him as the Chief Minister’s “desperation” leading to “diversionary tactics and false accusations”.

In states too, one finds the fights between the Governors and the government. But in most instances the state governments manage to get an upper hand. However, Delhi is a different case altogether as the L-G “is the government” while an elected government has a limited role. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has a significant role, though in the background, in the governance of the national capital.

In the present case, the fight started within months of Saxena assuming office and intensified after the CBI registered a case against Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia alleging “irregularities” in the formulation of Delhi’s excise policy and money changing hands to favour private liquor businesses. The CBI action came after a letter by Saxena to the MHA.

The AAP was quick to fight back in style. It accused Saxena of corruption during his tenure as the Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission. AAP levelled two allegations – that he pressured KVIC employees to exchange demonetised currency worth Rs 1,400 crore and that he gave a contract to design Khadi lounge in Delhi to his daughter. But this was not before Kejriwal appeared to call for truce saying the criticism was not personal. A legal notice followed.

Adding fuel to the fire, the L-G has now asked Kejriwal to sign the files that the Chief Minister’s Office sent to the former’s office as most of the files sent were cleared by officials with a remark “approved by the CM”. Saxena even returned over three dozen files to the CMO, as none of them had Kejriwal’s signature.

Saxena succeeds former bureaucrat Anil Baijal, who also had his share of controversies, and was witness to many of the AAP’s theatrics, including a dharna at the Raj Bhavan. However, Saxena had made his intentions clear with his initial statement that he will work like Delhi’s “local guardian” and be visible “more on roads than at Raj Niwas”. From day one, he lived true to his words: He was seen attending events almost everyday, aided by a well-oiled official publicity machinery. He called officials for meetings regularly to review progress of projects related to the Delhi government, irking Kejriwal who called it “interference”. Saxena made sure that the amendments to the law, made by Parliament, making the L-G “the government of Delhi” were enforced in letter and spirit. From day one, the scene was set for a pot-boiler.

If other L-Gs were predominantly former bureaucrats, who kept a low profile while being close to the ruling regimes, Saxena wore his political allegiance on his sleeve. Though not a member of the BJP, he is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He had launched a counter to Medha Patkar-led resistance to the Narmada project earlier while he also did not hesitate to tweet former Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

The timing of Saxena’s appointment and the speed with which he is moving against the Kejriwal government has come at a time when the AAP is trying to expand its footprints across the country, especially in the poll-bound Gujarat. He has given enough ammunition to the BJP with his actions on excise policy and granting sanction for a probe by the Anti-Corruption Bureau into allegations of irregularities in the tender process for setting up seven temporary Covid-19 hospitals. Questions are also raised about the tenders for classrooms and purchase and maintenance of 1,000 buses by the AAP-led dispensation.

The choice of subjects have put the AAP on the backfoot as any negative perception would have an impact on its image; it showcases its achievements in education and health sectors in its quest for a national footprint. AAP also knows that more than any other L-G, Saxena has been relentless in the last three months to make a dent to their anti-corruption plank.

In the days to come, the decibel levels will increase and the fight will worsen. Who will be the last man standing is a question to ponder but given the temperament of both Saxena and Kejriwal, you can be sure that they will take it to the wires.