The L-G advised Kejriwal to “refrain from such acts in future’ After according his approval to celebrate Chhath Puja at designated Ghats on the Yamuna, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena Wednesday asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to stop “misleading and premature publicity” and ensure clean ghats and water for devotees.
Quoting Kejriwal’s tweet, the L-G in his approval said, “I consider it important to place on record my serious concern regarding the premature publicity made by Hon’ble CM regarding the celebration of Chhath Puja on ghats of the Yamuna vide his tweet.”
Kejriwal on October 21 had tweeted, “Chhath puja will be celebrated as before on the ghats of the Yamuna. Orders have been given to all the officers that all arrangements will be made to ensure that Yamuna is not polluted.”
Saxena added that the publicity was done even before the matter was placed for his consideration and before he could formulate an independent opinion on the subject.
“This tweet also gives the impression that the Chhath festival will be celebrated on all Yamuna Ghats, which is misleading and may cause confusion in public as Hon’ble NGT has allowed Puja only on the ‘designated sites’. This is seriously problematic as it violates the basic principles of the scheme of governance. Needless to state, that premature publicity of the decision creates interest and thus influences the decision-making process independently in the matter which is extremely sensitive as it relates to religious beliefs and practices of a large section of people,” said the L-G in a document issued on Wednesday.
The L-G further advised Kejriwal to “refrain from such acts in future, in the larger public interest.” The AAP, meanwhile, said “the L-G is hungry for cheap publicity and wants to see his name in newspapers every day”.
“We strongly object to the language used by the L-G for Hon’ble CM. He is lowering the dignity of the chair he occupies by publicly abusing the CM every day,” the party said.