Arvind Kejriwal, Najeeb Jung stand-off turns ugly

L-G issues reprimand and reminder; officiating chief secretary meets Union home secretary, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to meet President today

The Aam Aadmi Party-run city government's confrontation with Delhi’s Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) over the post of secretary (services) came to such a head that the incumbent, Anindo Majumdar, found he’d been locked out of his office, on the seventh floor of the government secretariat, on Monday morning. The government said it had appointed Rajendra Kumar, currently secretary to the chief minister, to replace him.

In the afternoon, L-G Najeeb Jung’s office issued a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the deputy CM and the officiating chief secretary (appointed by the L-G by overriding the CM’s objections) that “Majumdar is the secretary (services) and any replacement stands void.” A 1985 batch IAS officer, Majumdar had been ordered removed over the weekend by the CM. That was after he’d issued the appointment letter of Shakuntala Gamlin as “officiating chief secretary” on the L-G’s direction, against what the CM demanded.

As things stand, the city government officially has a secretary (services) but the officer has no room to operate from. And, in the afternoon, Gamlin travelled to the Central Secretariat and met the Union home secretary, L C Goyal. Under law, the Union home ministry is the city government’s supervisor. And, Kejriwal’s office stated the CM would be meeting President Pranab Mukherjee at 6 pm on Tuesday. The CM had sought the meeting on Saturday, to “apprise him on Delhi’s situation”.

His team did not stay out of action. Deputy CM Manish Sisodia took to Twitter through the afternoon, to lash out at the L-G, alleging “Strange that a Constitutional Authority leaking letters addressed to Dy CM before it is received. Is it allowed under Constitution of India?” He subsequently tweeted at 2.45 pm, “Letter received from Hon. L-G at 14.35.”

While Majumdar found his room locked at 9.30 am this morning, Rajendra Kumar had already taken charge as secretary (services), said official sources. AN IIT alumnus, as is Kejriwal, he’s considered among Kejriwal's trusted officers.

Jung had on Saturday itself declared void the CM's order removing Majumdar and appointing Kumar, asserting he was acting within “constitutional rights” and rules and procedure. On Sunday, Kejriwal publicly sought citizens' reaction to the ongoing dispute. He accused Gamlin, also the present power secretary, of trying to favour two Reliance Infra-owned power distributions companies, in seeking government guarantees for a Rs 11,000-crore loan.

Kejriwal claimed the Narendra Modi government at the Centre was acting through the L-G, wanting the elected AAP dispensation to “fail”. Sisodia had said, "The Bharatiya Janata Party, through the L-G, has attempted a coup against the democratically elected government of Delhi with the highest ever mandate in the history of the state (sic; Delhi is not a state).”

Despite Kejriwal's strong opposition, Jung had appointed Gamlin on Friday; the actual chief secretary is on vacation. On Saturday, despite the CM directing her not to take charge, she did so, on Jung’s orders.  

The political overtone of this purportedly administrative wrangle is not lost on anyone. On Monday, senior IAS officer Amitabh Kant, also secretary in the Union government's department of industrial policy and promotion, tweeted: "Thank God I am not posted with Delhi government. Imagine the plight of officers. Rooms getting locked without notice. Will lead to collapse of morale."

Jitender Singh, minister of state with the prime minister’s Office, had earlier in the day, reportedly spoken on similar lines; that all appointments were transparent and “everyone should show some respect to civil service officers”. Else, it affects others as well.  

Sitaram Yechury, chief of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has accused the central government of trying to upset the federal framework and of interfering in the functioning of an elected government.
POWER STRUGGLE

May 15: Lt-Governor Najeeb Jung appoints Shakuntala Gamlin acting chief secretary; Chief Secretary K K Sharma is on leave till May 24

May 16: Gamlin takes charge despite Arvind Kejriwal’s government directing her not to; CM  removes Anindo Majumdar as secretary, services, for issuing her order of appointment; gives additional charge to Rajendra Kumar, currently secretary to the CM; Jung issues letter & press statement declaring CM’s order “ab initio void”; stipulates: "Principal secretary (services) has been removed from his position. This does not have the approval of the L-G, who is the competent authority to transfer officials of that rank.”

Kejriwal tweets, seeking appointment with President Pranab Mukherjee

May 17: Kejriwal addresses public meeting, says BJP-led central government is acting against AAP-led Delhi government , wants it to fail

May 18: Anindo Majumdar, secretary (services), finds his office locked; LG issues letter to CM that Majumdar is the secretary (services) and any replacement order is void