Delhi Power Tussle: Arvind Kejriwal Accuses Centre of 'Disobeying' Supreme Court After Meeting LG Anil Baijal
Kejriwal's fresh tirade against the Centre has put speculations of thaw to rest. The Delhi CM has reiterated the contempt charge against the Lieutenant Governor.
New Delhi, July 6: The power tussle in Delhi is likely to continue as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was quick to mark his dissent against the Centre after meeting Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.
Although the meeting was expected to de-escalate the tensions between the "elected government" and the Centre-appointed administration, Kejriwal's fresh tirade against the Narendra Modi regime has put the speculations to rest.
"We met the honourable Lieutenant Governor today. Mr Anil Baijal heard us but refused to that services department has come under the elected government in Delhi. He said that the 2015 MHA order on services dept has not been quashed by the Supreme Court," Kejriwal said, while addressing the press following the meet.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the LG's twitter handle a positive approach from his side.
"Met Hon’ble CM @ArvindKejriwal & Hon’ble Dy. CM @msisodia. Assured them of my continued support & cooperation in the interest of good governance & overall development of Delhi as per the letter and spirit of Constitution,” Baijal said.
The apex court on Wednesday delivered its verdict in the case which pitted the Aam Aadmi Party government against the L-G. The five-judge constitution bench said the L-G is bound to act on the advise of the Chief Minister and his Cabinet.
Although AAP claimed victory after the court verdict, it's celebrations were short lived as the Services department of National Capital Territory refused to accept an order issued by the state government transferring the right to appoint and shuffle bureaucrats to the Delhi CM.
Under the incumbent set-up, the right to transfer and appoint officials is reserved by the respective heads of departments, Delhi Chief Secretary and the Lieutenant Governor.
Union Minister Arun Jaitley came out in defence of the Services department, saying the Supreme Court has not specifically quashed the 2015 order issued by the Home Ministry which disallows the Chief Minister to appoint or transfer bureaucrats.
Deputy CM Manish Sisodia appealed the BJP-ruled Centre to "show some remorse" and "finally allow" the elected government in the state to discharge its duty. "They are not only suppressing the popular will of the people, but are also brazenly committing contempt of court," he added.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 06, 2018 06:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).