As the bitter battle between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and lt Governor snowballed into a full-blown war over the appointment of officers in Delhi Government, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in an apparent reference to various controversies surrounding the AAP Government, said that people of Delhi wanted governance and not a string of controversies.
Hours after the remark, the ongoing CM versus lt Governor turned into Jaitley versus AAP as the latter reacted strongly to his statements. The Finance Minister said, “Those who are ruling Delhi don’t want to govern.”
“Delhi experimented with a new party in the elections, but it proved to be a very costly experiment since governance is not their first political agenda,” said Jaitley referring to the recent mandate in the Delhi Assembly elections.
Particularly highlighting the tussle between Kejriwal and Jung, Jaitley, who was speaking at Delhi BJP’s Executive Committee meeting said, “People of Delhi want governance and the ruling dispensation must understand it.”
Jaitley remarked that Delhi could turn into a global city with several opportunities for business and tourism. “Whatever is happening in Delhi since the last few months, it seems that the upcoming days will be more painful. The AAP Government came following a huge mandate. They should understand their responsibilities. People want governance and not controversy. So they should understand their responsibilities and fulfil people’s expectations,” he said.
The confrontation over appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as acting Chief Secretary of Delhi had turned into a full-blown war between the ruling AAP dispensation and Jung with Kejriwal alleging that the l-G was trying to take over the administration.
Despite Kejriwal’s strong opposition, Jung had appointed Gamlin to the post on Friday. The AAP Government on Monday had directed all its officials to apprise the Chief Minister or Minister concerned about any oral or written direction from the l-G or his office before following them.
The l-G has also hardened his stand maintaining that he was the main authority in dealing with transfers and postings of senior bureaucrats. The BJP has been critical of the AAP Government.