Last Update: January 10, 2023, 12:33 pm IST
Kejriwal wrote to Saxena questioning the nomination of the presiding officer and aldermen of the MCD. (File PTI and ANI photo)
In a letter to Kejriwal, Saxena asked the chief minister to hold regular meetings with him for ‘conflict-free’ governance in the interest of the residents of the national capital.
Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena reportedly refused to give a “timely appointment” to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying he is “very busy and cannot meet before Friday”.
Aam Party sources said that LG had on Monday invited Kejriwal to discuss the ongoing tussle over the powers of governance. “The CM immediately wrote back accepting the invitation and sought an appointment on Tuesday. However, the meeting was refused on time and Saxena’s office said the LG did not have time to meet the CM before 4 pm on Friday.
In a letter to Kejriwal, Saxena asked the chief minister to hold regular meetings with him for “conflict-free” governance in the interest of the residents of the national capital. The LG’s office and the AAP government in Delhi have often found themselves at loggerheads. on various issues including the now canceled excise duty policy.
Kejriwal, in his recent letters to Saxena, questioned whether the nomination of the presiding officer and alderman of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) as well as members of the Haj committee, as LG, meant “administrator” elected in Delhi. Ignore the failed government.
In his letter, Saxena stated that the provisions governing the administration in Delhi “… are clear to any statesman, lawyer and scholar indeed as a common citizen. I would like to invite you for a meeting where we can discuss threadbare issues”.
He said that the provisions governing the administration in Delhi have emerged out of serious deliberations in the Constituent Assembly, the States Reorganization Commission and the Parliament. He said that the Supreme Court has also explained them clearly on many occasions.
The chief minister further pointed out that Section 21(3) of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi defines the government as “LG”, seeking clarification from Saxena whether he would run the Delhi government directly, bypassing the elected government on all devolved subjects.
“If that position is taken, then the Prime Minister of India And all chief ministers will become irrelevant as all laws and the constitution use the term president/governor and not prime minister/chief minister.”
Citing various letters sent to him by the chief minister over the past few days, Saxena lauded Kejriwal for “starting taking governance seriously in the city”.
The LG said the chief minister used to meet him regularly till October 2022, but later expressed his inability to do so due to his preoccupation with the assembly and municipal elections.
Saxena said that since the elections are over, the meetings should be resumed for “thoughtful and conflict-free” governance of the city in the interest of the people. He said that the Chief Minister’s Office can fix any mutually convenient date for the meeting.
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