Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday slammed the Centre for not approving the appointment of two Ministers in his Cabinet.
After Mr. Kejriwal dropped Kapil Mishra from the Cabinet on May 6, the government sent a file regarding the appointment of Seemapuri MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam and Najafgarh MLA Kailash Gahlot as Ministers that day itself to Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal. Mr. Mishra held the Tourism and Culture portfolio as well as the post of the Delhi Jal Board chairperson.
‘Work held up’
On Tuesday, Mr. Kejriwal tweeted that the Centre had been sitting on the file, adding that if the Union government had a problem with the Aam Aadmi Party government, it shouldn’t take it out on the people of Delhi. The Chief Minister said certain government work had been held up because of the delay.
Later in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the President was required to clear the appointment of Cabinet members in Delhi, via the Lieutenant-Governor and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
“We want to know what is the reason that the file has not been cleared...Why is there an attempt to paralyse the Delhi government in violation of the Constitution,” asked Mr. Sisodia. In 25 years, this was the first time that the appointment of ministers had taken so long, he added.
Officials in the Union Home Ministry, however, said they received the file only on Monday and would send it back to Mr. Baijal on Wednesday.
