A day after Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena invited Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for a meeting over the “administration” of the Capital, sources in the Delhi government said the L-G’s office refused to give him a timely appointment on Tuesday.
After the L-G on Monday wrote to Mr. Kejriwal to discuss the “intricacies of Constitutional provisions, Statutes and Acts that outline the multi-layered scheme of administration in the National Capital Territory of Delhi”, a source said the CM immediately responded and sought an appointment for Tuesday.
“The L-G’s office refused to give timely appointment to Mr. Kejriwal and said that the L-G was very busy and could not meet before 4 p.m. on Friday,” the person added. No response was issued by the L-G’s office on the issue.
In the letter, Mr. Saxena had also accused the CM of not attending their weekly meetings since October last year.
File on DERC chief
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday requested the L-G to “urgently” clear the appointment of the Chairperson of Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) and not to send the file directly to officers “as he has done in 3 cases last week”.
In a letter to the L-G, also shared on Twitter, Mr. Sisodia said the CM had approved the name of Justice (Retd.) Rajeev Shrivastava of Madhya Pradesh High Court as DERC Chairperson on January 4 and sent the matter to the L-G the same day to decide whether he would differ on this and invoke Article 239AA(4) of the Constitution.
Noting that Justice Shrivastava “has had an outstanding career and impeccable record”, the Deputy CM wrote, “I find no reason why you would differ with the decision of Council of Ministers. [The Supreme Court] has also said that the proviso to [Article] 239AA(4) should be rarely invoked.”
Citing a Supreme Court judgment, he added, “The difference of opinion between the L-G and the Council of Ministers should have a sound rationale and there should not be exposition of the phenomenon of an obstructionist, but reflection of the philosophy of affirmative constructionism and profound sagacity and judiciousness.”
“So, kindly do not send the file related to appointment of DERC Chairman directly to officers for issue of notification.”
Mr. Kejriwal had recently accused the L-G of bypassing the elected government and passing orders on subjects that are “not within” his jurisdiction.
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party, too, has criticised the L-G’s recent decisions to nominate the presiding officer and aldermen to the newly elected Municipal Corporation of Delhi House and members of the Haj Committee by “bypassing” the elected government, and called his justification for doing the same “legally incorrect”.
