Kejriwal says L-G, Centre not obeying SC's order
Despite the Supreme Court ruling that the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) cannot interfere with policy decisions taken by the state government, a recent statement by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal seems to indicate that the Centre isn't obeying the apex court's order. As of now, it seems that some differences - including jurisdiction over the services department - still needs ironing out. Here's more on it.
Kejriwal's allegations against the L-G
"Met L-G today, Mr Anil Baijal refused to agree that services department has come under the elected government in Delhi. He said that the 2015 MHA order on services dept has not been quashed by the Supreme Court," wrote Arvind Kejriwal.
The dispute between the L-G and Kejriwal
On Friday, Kejriwal and his deputy, Manish Sisodia, met L-G Anil Baijal, seeking his cooperation in Delhi's development and good governance. Kejriwal claims that the L-G refused to heed the Supreme Court's order, and refused to admit that the services department was under the state government's jurisdiction. The Delhi CM slammed the Centre for openly disobeying the SC order, and for not fulfilling responsibilities.
Kejriwal accuses the Centre of not carrying out duties
"You have services but you didn't fill the post of education director. How can we bring reforms in education if there are so many vacancies? Had services been with us, we would have appointed a new official 15 days ahead to ensure efficiency," added Kejriwal.
L-G paints a completely different picture of the incident
L-G Anil Baijal, however, painted a very different picture of the incident. After the meeting, Baijal tweeted, "Met Hon'ble CM @ArvindKejriwal & Hon'ble Dy. CM @msisodia. Assured them of my continued support & cooperation in the interest of good governance & overall development of Delhi as per the letter and spirit of Constitution". Meanwhile, Kejriwal is trying to fast-track stalled projects.
With SC-backed powers, Kejriwal is speeding up projects
"Within the powers that we have after the SC order, I have asked officials to expedite projects such as doorstep delivery of ration and Signature Bridge. L-G told us there is no need to send these files...You can go ahead with the projects," explained Kejriwal.
