Relenting after two days of defiance, the Aam Aadmi Party government on Thursday sent a file on the appointment of its Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal to Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung. It asserted that it was not an ego issue but slammed Mr. Jung’s stand that he was the ‘government’ in Delhi. As the tussle over appointment of Ms. Maliwal threatened to widen the rift, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia met Mr. Jung and announced subsequently that the file had already been sent to the LG for clearance. Mr. Sisodia said this was done to “stop the conspiracy to weaken the panel.”
Hours later, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sent a terse letter to Mr. Jung in which he slammed him for his assertion that the ‘government’ in Delhi meant the LG, saying it would result in dictatorship. According to Mr. Kejriwal his stand was not only unconstitutional but “laughable” in a democratic country.
The Chief Minister also accused Mr. Jung of forcefully seeking the files from the DCW office after locking it up, terming this “blackmail.” He alleged that Mr. Jung was working at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that he had made the DCW “completely dysfunctional.”
Striking down Ms. Maliwal’s appointment, Mr. Jung had in a letter to Mr. Kejriwal on Tuesday referred to a Home Ministry order and said ‘government’ meant the “Lt. Governor of the National Capital Territory of Delhi” appointed by the President and that he was sole authority in deciding on major issues including appointment to top positions.
