LG is accountable only to BJP, says angry Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: In response to lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal’s strong rebuttal of the AAP government’s white paper on his performance, an outraged chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, on Friday portrayed the LG as a pawn in the hands of the Centre for paralysing governance in Delhi. He also argued that former CM Sheila Dikshit did not share an acrimonious equation with the LG because her autonomy had not been whittled down by the Centre.
In a no-holds-barred attack in the Delhi assembly, he alleged that the LG was “accountable to no one but the BJP which has made him what he is. ” Turning to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the CM advised him to focus on “positive politics,” shun negativity and “not stall Delhi’s projects through the LG.” Kejriwal cautioned the PM that people of Delhi will not like work getting stalled because of interference by the Centre.

Referring to the LG’s statement that 97% of 10,000 files had been approved as received, Kejriwal said, “I am happy that a debate has started. The LG’s response amounts to an admission that 3%, which is 300 files, were not approved. I have checked and found that the 97% files being spoken of pertain to routine matters. The 300 files under scrutiny are are ones that involve decision on policy that the government wants to steer. These are being stalled,” he said.

“The elected government which is responsible and accountable to the people has no power and the LG enjoys unlimited powers without any responsibility and accountability,” he said. “He is a political appointee who is indulging in pure politics to strangulate the elected government of Delhi.”

Kejriwal raised the issue of the comparison often made between his government and that of previous Delhi governments, particularly the one led by Sheila Dikshit, who was in office for 15 years. “The reality is that her government could appoint good officers in important positions and transfer/penalize non-performing officers,” claimed the CM. “Her government had the power to order vigilance probes on complaints against officers”. He added that Sheila’s government had control over the Anti Corruption Branch and could send corrupt officers to jail but that power was snatched from him by the Centre.

“In Sheila Dikshit’s tenure, there was no requirement of sending every file to the LG and, therefore, the LG was not able to interfere in every decision of the elected government. He also argued that Sheila’s government could recruit for filling up vacancies and fresh posts whereas now the LG does not even consult the elected government on this.

As a solution, the CM said, his government should be able to post and transfer offciers, have control over services, and in matters where the assembly has the competence to make laws, power to take decisions should be with the government. He called for limiting the role of LG by letting him exercise his difference of opinion with the council of ministers only on reserved subjects and in matters where functioning of the central government will be affected.