lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Friday amended the rulebook to facilitate the transfer of money from the MlA local Area Development (MlAlAD) fund. Jung’s step came after former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal criticised him on Twitter for not according permission to his party MlAs for donating to Jammu & Kashmir relief fund. Earlier Kejriwal had expressed his apprehension that sources told him that Jung has objected to his move. “Twenty seven MlAs of AAP wrote to Delhi Govt to transfer Rs20 lakh from each MlA’s fund to J&K CM fund. Sources — lG has objected to it. WhyIJ” (sic) he tweeted. But Kejriwal was oblivious to the fact that there was no provision for MlAs to donate for relief work during calamities.
The lieutenant Governor brought a change in the rulebook to allow the MlAs to do so and now Delhi MlAs can contribute any amount of money from their MlAlAD fund. According to the new rules, now MlAs can donate as much money as they wish. As a matter of fact several AAP MlAs have exhausted their funds meant for this year. It remains to be seen how they manage to sanction money from the relief work in the Valley from the MlAlAD funds. Only Rs24 lakh is left in the MlAlAD fund of Kejriwal.
Political pundits say that ill-informed Kejriwal fell into the trap of lieutenant Governor as he wanted to take credit and sympathy of people in the name of donating MlAlAD to J&K flood relief but Jung has walked away with the credit. First Kejriwal tweeted on Friday quoting his sources as saying that lG has raised objection on AAP MlAs proposal to transfer Rs20 lakh each from MlAlAD fund but lieutenant Governor in his Press briefing made it clear that he had issued instructions
to Urban Development Department two days ago. Political analysts say that it was failure on the part of the Urban Development Department officials who failed to convey these instructions to MlAs. Besides, lieutenant Governor also removed the cap and now MlAs can contribute any amount of money from their fund to lG/CM relief fund. Thirdly, lG has hijacked the entire issue from Kejriwal and by evening, Urban Development Department has conveyed to all MlAs from BJP, Congress and AAP regarding relaxation on guidelines.
In a release, Jung’s office said on September 17, under the MlA local Area Development Scheme, the MlAs can contribute to the lG/CM relief fund for victims of natural disasters, especially in the wake of floods in Jammu & Kashmir. As per the earlier provision, MlAs can donate money up to Rs35 lakh for any natural calamity or disaster. “The lG has asked the Department of Urban Development to immediately convey the decision of the Government to the MlAs and seek their willingness for making contribution to this noble cause. The amount will be credited to the lG/CM Relief Fund,” it said. The release was issued hours after AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal accused Jung of “objecting” to a request by 27 AAP legislators to donate
Rs20 lakh each for relief and rescue operations in flood-ravaged Jammu & Kashmir. In a series of tweets, Kejriwal said the party had learnt from its sources that Jung had raised an objection to the fund transfer.
The AAP convener said that last year each MlA had donated for Uttarakhand flood victims. “last year, Rs10 lakh from each MlAs funds were transferred for Uttarakhand flood relief. Then why an objection this yearIJ” he wrote on the microblogging site.
AAP leaders had questioned the lG in the past over reportedly over inviting BJP to form Government in Delhi. “It’s not the lG, but it’s (BJP president) Amit Shah who is taking decisions. It is the Centre which is ruling Delhi,” senior party leader and AAP MlA Manish Sisodia had said. He had also slammed Jung for his view that if elections were conducted, work and other developmental activities would come to a halt for two months. “I don’t subscribe to lG’s logic because on one hand you are saying that people will suffer. It is better that work halts for two months during elections than for eight months when people are without any Government. Today’s Government is an executive Government. Executives work in a closed room. They don’t have an interaction with public,” he had said.
Insiders say that lG office is not happy with the Urban Development Department in the manner his (lG) objection was leaked to Kejriwal and the Government decision was not conveyed to all MlAs.