NEW DELHI -- The power tussle between Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung took an ugly turn on Wednesday, with the L-G writing a scathing letter to Kejriwal detailing his jurisdiction in the appointment of bureaucrats in Delhi government posts.
Jung annulled all bureaucrat appointments made in the last four days, calling himself the sole authority in matters of ordering transfer and posting of bureaucrats.
The entire tussle, that blew up last week on Friday, has played out in a series of letters between different government officials. Here's a look at the volley of letters that were the major "bullets" in this ongoing war.
Power Minister Satyendra Jain Places On Record His 'Suspicion' On Shakuntala Gamlin
Jain wrote to Kejriwal on May 5, claiming, "I wish to place on record the suspicion inviting actions of Shakuntala D. Gamlin. Before AAP Govt was formed in Delhi, she was appointed as Pr. Secretary (Power) by the Hon’ble Lt Governor."
He wrote that since the Aam Aadmi Party government had taken over, Gamlin had been "aggressively lobbying within the government to promote the interests of Reliance owned Power Companies. Many such instances have come to light,” a charge Gamlin has vociferously denied.
In his letter, Jain claimed that, “Reliance owned power companies have applied for a loan of Rs 11,000 crore to PFC. She has been persistently pestering me to give some kind of guarantee (comfort letter) to Power Finance Corporation in favour of Reliance owned power companies. If Delhi government were to sign such guarantee, Delhi government would be liable to repay the loan if the companies defaulted any time in future."
“Going by her advice, if I had signed the guarantee letter, it would have exposed the people of Delhi to liability of Rs 11,000 crore. If Delhi government were called upon to pay this liability in case of loan default by Reliance in future, the rates in Delhi would have skyrocketed,” he added.
Kejriwal Tells Jung To Work 'Within Constitution'
After Jung appointed Gamlin as acting Chief Secretary of the Delhi government on May 15, Kejriwal lashed out on Sunday, May 17, asking him to work "within the Constitution" in a fiery letter.
"I am simply aghast by your questionable instructions issued directly to the Pr. Secretary (Services) to post an officer of your choice as the acting Chief Secretary of Delhi. In doing so, you have bypassed the democratically elected government," Kejriwal said in a strongly worded letter to Jung hours after Gamlin took charge of the post, defying the Chief Minister.
"I would strongly request and urge you to remain within the confines of the Constitution and the laws relating to government of NCT of Delhi," he said.
In the letter, he pointed to several rules of Transaction of Business Rules, saying "I cannot but conclude that This is a thinly disguised attempt to render the democratically elected govt "ineffective".
Jung Tells Kejriwal Appointment Of New Principal Secretary 'Void'
After Principal Secretary (Services) Anindo Majumdar was locked out of his office on Monday, after directions from Kejriwal, the AAP government appointed erstwhile secretary to CM Rajendra Kumar, to Majumdar's post.
The L-G immediately wrote to Kejriwal, declaring Kumar's posting "void", as he had not cleared it with the L-G first.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia Writes To Jung, Saying He Can't Comply With Directions
Sisodia responded to Jung's annulment of Kumar's appointment claiming he could not comply with the L-G's orders. "Your (L-G) directions are against the provisions of law and Constitution and therefore cannot be complied with. However, Chief Minister is also writing a letter to PM separately in this regard," wrote Sisodia.
Kejriwal Alleges Centre Trying To Run Delhi Government Through L-G, In Letter To Modi
The Delhi CM wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, alleging that the central government was using the L-G to control the state government.
"In Delhi, the central government is trying to run government unconstitutionally through the LG. Let Delhi government function independently," Kejriwal said in the letter to Modi.
The ongoing feud reached a head later on Wednesday with both Kejriwal and Jung meeting separately with President Pranab Mukherjee, urging him to intervene. Meanwhile Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said that the LG and CM should meet and sort the issues out.
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