In a move that could further aggravate the strained relations between the Centre and the Delhi Government, the appointments of nine advisers to Ministers, including the one to Deputy Chief Minister, were cancelled by the Centre on Tuesday. It met with an angry response from Manish Sisodia, who said, “Prime Minister wants to ‘undermine’ Delhi’s education system.”
An official order issued by the General Administration Department of the Delhi Government stated that the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued an order saying, “Posts on which the appointees are officiating are not in the list of posts approved for the Ministers and the Chief Minister of Government of National Capital Territory. Further no prior approval has been taken for creation of said posts which these persons have been appointed on co-terminus basis which is a pre-requirement as per MHA’s orders issued on 3-9-1997”.
“No prior approval of the Central Government has been taken for creation of said posts on which these people have been appointed on co-terminus basis,” the order stated.
Among the nine advisers whose appointment has been cancelled are Amardeep Tiwari (media adviser to law Minister), Arunodya Prakash (media adviser to deputy Chief Minister), Raghav Chadha (adviser to Finance Minister), Atishi Marlena (media adviser to deputy Chief Minister).
Addressing the media after the orders to remove advisers were issued by the GAD, Sisodia said, “The BJP-led Government targeted his adviser Atishi Marlena through the order as she played a vital role in improving the education system”.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to undermine Delhi’s education system, that is why this order has been issued today,” Sisodia said at a Press conference. Of the nine advisers, only four are currently working with the Delhi Government.
Sisodia said the Modi Government’s order was a “conspiracy to derail” the “education revolution” in Delhi. Since no BJP Government has been able to deliver anything in education and health sectors, the Centre is trying to paralyse the AAP Government, he alleged, adding his adviser Marlena, who was playing a “vital role” in improving the education system, has been “targeted”.
Sisodia tweeted “No wonder why Modi govt decided to remove advisors like @ AtishiMarlena- an Stephenian who later studied at Oxford, then worked as Rhodes scholar, and then joined Delhi Education as govt advisor. She was working with me on Re 1/pm salary for last 3 years.”