The notification released by the Centre today is an attempt to close out the lengthy feud between the Chief Minister and the Lieutenant Governor, who have dispatched heavy charges of over-reach against each other in a series of letters since last week.
The Centre’s statement endorses the stand that the Lieutenant Governor has claimed all along – that as the representative of the union government in Delhi, he is the authority for the Delhi Police, issues related to Land, and the postings of key government officers.
The notification comes after a detailed discussion yesterday between Home minister Rajnath Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is certain to irk Mr Kejriwal, who has claimed that an elected government cannot be saddled with bureaucrats against its choice. Mr Kejriwal has been backed by other heads of state governments, who say the Chief Minister’s team cannot be decided without his assent.
The furious contest yielded many debating points linked to what the Constitution provides for Delhi, which is a union territory and not a full state. The Centre’s clarification backs the Lieutenant Governor on virtually all the points of his dispute with the Chief Minister.
Mr Kejriwal wrote to the PM this week alleging that his party, the BJP, is trying to govern Delhi through the Lieutenant Governor.
Mr Kejriwal and the Lieutenant Governor, whose working relationship has never been smooth, plummeted into their latest battle over an IAS officer described by the Chief Minister as a “lobbyist for power companies”. She was picked by Mr Jung as Acting Chief Secretary or the senior-most bureaucrat in the Delhi government.
Since then, Mr Kejriwal has retaliated by filling key postings with his preferred candidates; the Lieutenant Governor has declared those appointments void.
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