Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal leaves after meeting the President in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Photo: AP)
New Delhi: The raging battle between Delhi’s lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung and CM Arvind Kejriwal over the appointment of a senior bureaucrat reached Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday, with both Mr Kejriwal and Mr Jung apprising President Pranab Mukherjee on their respective positions. While the L-G said there was a “constitutional crisis” in the city-state, the AAP leaders accused him of bypassing the elected city government.
While as the political slugfest continued through Tuesday, the Union home ministry is preparing a point-by-point rebuttal of Mr Kejriwal’s charges against the Centre and the lieutenant-governor, and has written to the attorney-general seeking his advice on the 1998 notification which the AAP government has been citing in its fight with Mr Jung.
The AAP government has already sought legal opinion on the L-G’s powers from top lawyers Rajeev Dhavan and Indira Jaising, who have supported its stand asserting that Mr Jung has no independent discretion in the matter. Mr Jung is also said to be taking legal opinion relating to his authority over bureaucrats in the Delhi government.
Earlier, hours before Mr Kejriwal’s scheduled meeting with the President, the L-G, in a sudden turn of events, called on Mr Mukherjee and reiterated his stand over the recent appointments of key bureaucrats in the Delhi government. Briefing the President on issues relating to the posting and transfer of bureaucrats, Mr Jung stressed there was a “constitutional crisis-like situation”.
( Source : haris zargar & namrata biji ahuja )
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