Members of several Opposition parties on Thursday expressed solidarity with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Rajya Sabha and alleged that Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal was hindering the government’s functioning. Samajwadi Party MP Naresh Agarwal accused Baijal of treating Kejriwal “like a chaprasi [peon]”, The Times of India reported.
The Delhi government and the office of the current Lieutenant Governor and his predecessor Najeeb Jung have been at odds over the matter of administrative control in the National Capital Region.
MPs from the Trinamool Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India supported the allegations, NDTV reported.
After a discussion on regularising unauthorised constructions in Delhi, during which the statements were made, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson PJ Kurien asked Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri to intervene in the feud between Baijal and Kejriwal.
Puri vowed to mediate but admitted that a resolution to the matter would be a difficult challenge. “In four decades of public life, I have faced many challenges,” Puri, a former diplomat said. “I tried to negotiate with terrorists. This is going to be a difficult one, but I accept your challenge and I will try and negotiate.”
Delhi government vs the LG
The AAP government alleged that the Centre had paralysed its executive functions and that no bureaucrat was obeying the orders of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
On August 4, the Delhi High Court had ruled that the lieutenant governor was the administrative head of the National Capital Region and rejected the AAP government’s contention that the person holding the post needed to act on the advice of the Delhi Cabinet. In its 194-page verdict, the High Court further said that the Union Territory’s Council of Ministers must confer with the lieutenant governor before making key decisions.
The Kejriwal government had moved the High Court after the Home Affairs Ministry passed a notification on May 21, giving “unprecedented powers” on matters such as public order, police and services to then-Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.
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