Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung’s resignation on Thursday evening took everyone by surprise.
According to a source, Mr. Jung received a phone call from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal soon after the announcement during which both agreed to meet briefly at Raj Niwas on Friday morning; this was followed by Mr. Jung presiding over a law and order meeting attended by the Delhi Police top brass, as scheduled.
Since Delhi is a Union Territory, its administrative control is with the Home Ministry. “There was no political pressure on Mr. Jung to resign, might be fatigue and as he says he wants to pursue academics again,” said another Home Ministry official.
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Mr. Jung’s resignation comes after the Supreme Court’s observation earlier this week that the Delhi government should have some powers, otherwise it cannot function.
The SC observed this on December 14 while listing for final disposal the appeal of the AAP government against a Delhi High Court verdict which had held that the Lieutenant-Governor was the administrative head of the capital.
The “elected government in Delhi should have some powers otherwise it cannot function. The matter needs to be decided fast,” said a Bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and A.M. Sapre.
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An official explained that whenever the Centre decides to remove a Governor or LG, the onus of conveying the message, asking the incumbents to put in their papers, usually rests with the Union Home Secretary.
“Mr. Jung’s resignation is a surprise to me. My best wishes in all his future endeavours,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted. Deputy CM Manish Sisodia also wished Mr. Jung the best, while acknowledging the thorny relationship be tween Mr. Jung and the AAP government. “Despite all the bitter-sweet experiences, I can say that together we managed to do good for Delhi,” Mr. Sisodia said.
The Delhi BJP said Mr. Jung had worked despite pressure from the Delhi government, while the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee termed it an “unceremonious exit.”
Following the sudden resignation by Mr. Jung, the race for his successor seems to have begun. According to sources, former Delhi Police Commissioner during the previous NDA government, Ajai Raj Sharma is a strong contender, besides former Union Home Secretary Anil Baijal.
Another name doing the rounds is that of Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, a 1978 batch IAS officer.