Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Friday denied that he resigned because of politics saying he had first offered to quit even before the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi last February.
“There is no politics behind it. This was a decision I took earlier. I had offered to resign as I had been appointed by the previous UPA government, but the PM (Narendra Modi) asked me to carry on,” Mr Jung said in an interview to NDTV after meeting Mr Modi.
“After three and a half years, I requested the PM again on Tuesday that I would like to resign on personal grounds but he said carry on,” Mr Jung added.
Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy, Manish Sisodia, met Mr Jung over breakfast. Speaking to the media after their meeting, Mr Sisodia said Mr Jung told them that he wanted to return to academia and spend time with his family, which he wasn’t able to.
“We had a very good chat. He shared memories of the last two years and also of his days as a bureaucrat. He said he had been thinking of quitting for the last one year. He wants to spend time with his family and focus on academics,” Mr Sisodia said.
The Deputy CM said Mr Jung could not resign earlier because of events such as the chikungunya epidemic in Delhi.
Talking about his relationship with Mr Jung, Mr Sisodia said they shared a good rapport and he thanked the L-G for his cooperation, especially in areas of education.
Resignation not received
Till late on Friday evening, the Ministry of Home Affairs had not yet received Mr. Jung’s resignation letter. A senior home ministry official said it was the L-G’s prerogative to send the letter either to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) or the President.
“He can send it to either the PMO or the President’s House. He doesn’t have to necessarily mark a copy to the Home Ministry. We will get the official communication from whichever office he sends the letter to,” the official said.
Another official said they had not got the letter as the resignation had possibly not been accepted by the PMO. “Mr. Jung met the Prime Minister in the morning, if he submitted his resignation there, then it is yet to reach the Home Ministry. It could be that the resignation has not been accepted yet as they are looking for a successor,” he said.
Once the Home Ministry receives Mr. Jung’s resignation, it will forward it to President Pranab Mukherjee, who acting on the advice of the council of ministers will either accept it or reject it.
“In case, Mr. Jung directly sends his resignation to the President, it will come to Home Ministry since it acts as a post office and has administrative control of the Delhi government,” the official said.
Congress charge
Meanwhile, the Congress claimed that Mr. Jung wanted to make the Shunglu Committee report public on December 19, but was restrained from doing so, forcing him to resign.
“He did not have any option but to go,” said Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken, adding that the BJP and the AAP had struck a deal keeping in mind the Assembly elections in some states.
