In a meeting that lasted five minutes on Friday evening, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal asked the Delhi government to work towards “removing mistrust” with government officials, NDTV reported. The alleged assault of Delhi’s Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash was “unfortunate”, Baijal said.
This was reportedly the first meeting between Delhi Cabinet ministers and Baijal after Prakash said he was assaulted at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence earlier this week. The ministers met Baijal just hours after a Delhi Police team searched Kejriwal’s home and seized CCTV footage.
“The Lieutenant Governor strongly condemned the incidents and termed them most unfortunate,” his office said in a statement, The Hindu reported.
But, Baijal also pointed out that the ongoing tussle would affect governance. “No government can fulfill its promises to the people if employees feel demoralised and insecure,” he said. “There is no place for violence in a democratic and civilised society.”
Baijal and Kejriwal have promised to talk to officers, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said at a press conference soon after the meeting. Sisodia also praised Baijal for “looking at the entire episode” and considering Delhi’s governance, NDTV reported.
“We told him officers were not taking phone calls, or coming for meetings,” Sisodia said about the protests by the bureaucrats after the alleged assault. Sisodia said Baijal agreed to speak with the officials and “ensure work is not affected.”
Both Kejriwal and Baijal took to Twitter to talk about the meeting on Friday evening:
The Aam Aadmi Party government has been involved in a long-running power tussle with the lieutenant governor’s office – an ongoing case in the Supreme Court. The Delhi government claims the lieutenant governor has no role in the affairs of the national Capital, and only the chief minister and his council of ministers can make decisions.
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