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Lt-Governor Najeeb Jung Warns Bureaucrats Not To Follow Kejriwal Government's 'Illegal Orders'

Delhi Lt Governor Wants Babus To Disobey Kejriwal Government's 'Illegal Orders'
Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man's Party, leader Arvind Kejriwal greets the crowd after taking oath as Chief Minister of Delhi, as Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung stands by his side in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015. The AAP, headed by the former tax official who had remade himself into a champion for clean government, won 67 of the 70 seats in recent elections. Kejriwal and the party he created routed the country's best-funded and best-organized political machine and dealt an embarrassing blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
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Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man's Party, leader Arvind Kejriwal greets the crowd after taking oath as Chief Minister of Delhi, as Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung stands by his side in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015. The AAP, headed by the former tax official who had remade himself into a champion for clean government, won 67 of the 70 seats in recent elections. Kejriwal and the party he created routed the country's best-funded and best-organized political machine and dealt an embarrassing blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

NEW DELHI—The fight between Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal just doesn't seem to end.

The two top men of the capital are at it again. On Friday, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung warned all bureaucrats in Delhi not to follow any orders issued by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government, because they have been declared as ‘null and void’ by the Centre.

He also warned of action if they did.

In a memo to the bureaucrats, Jung said, "The government of India has taken note of current constitutional position in Delhi and major instances of violation of the constitution, laws and rules, such as change in the pay structure of DANICS (Delhi Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service) officers, the constitution of a so-called Commission of Inquiry etc."

If the officers follow the state government, they could face disciplinary action, he said.

"Should any officer choose to do so, both disciplinary action for compliance of illegal orders, and recovery of financial loss caused to the Government as a result of such action, would follow," the memorandum added.

In his response, chief minister Kejriwal deplored such a letter from the Lt Governor in the middle of his efforts to tackle Delhi's worst dengue outbreak in five years.

"Can we not fight over this issue two months later? Let's fight the dengue crisis together now," Kejriwal said in a tweet.

Recd "Memorandum" from LG, which he says that he has issued on instructions from Central Govt(1/2)

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 18, 2015

My request to central govt- इन मुद्दों पर क्या हम 2 महीने बाद नहीं लड़ सकते? अभी सब मिलकर डेंगू से लड़ते हैं न (2/2)

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 18, 2015

The row between the two has been simmering since the Aam Aadmi Party took power in February.

Kejriwal had earlier accused Jung of following the directives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to create obstacles for the Delhi Government and limit its powers. Jung had later criticized Kejriwal for his 'inappropriate references' to Prime Minister Modi.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.