After the stand-off over the acting Chief Secretary (CS), the Delhi Government trained its guns on the bureaucrat who had cleared her appointment, triggering a fresh row with the Lieutenant-Governor’s office.
Principal Secretary (Services) Anindo Majumdar reached his office on Monday only to find himself locked out as per a directive from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s office. Mr. Majumdar was told he had been replaced by Principal Secretary to Mr. Kejriwal, Rajender Kumar. However, this was declared constitutionally void by the L-G Najeeb Jung.
Even as there was no end in sight to this turf war, the Chief Minister has sought an appointment with President Pranab Mukherjee. Sources said the meeting is likely to take place on Tuesday evening. A senior official said Mr. Kejriwal was also likely to apprise Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon his return to the country.
Mr. Majumdar had cleared the appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as acting CS for 10 days during the absence of K.K. Sharma, who applied for leave late last week. At a public event on Sunday, Mr. Kejriwal had accused Ms. Gamlin of “working for power” discoms and vowed to “keep an eye on her activities.”
In the afternoon, Ms. Gamlin was spotted exiting the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Sources said she was there to attend a routine meeting to discuss impending transfer postings of bureaucrats across services.
The Delhi government said it had acted against Mr. Majumdar as per rules deeming it the final authority in relation to the transfer and postings of UT cadre bureaucrats.
Directive Meanwhile, the AAP government on Monday night directed all its officials to apprise the Chief Minister or Minister concerned about any oral or written direction from the L-G or his office before following them.
In a directive, the order signed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, said the bureaucrats, including the Chief Secretary, will have to first consult with the Chief Minister and other Ministers about any communication from the L-G before acting on such directions.
