AAP government, l-G spar over IAS association's protest

A week after the IAS association declared that it would not attend any government meetings till Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal apologises for the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by the ruling party MlAs, the AAP and lt. Governor Anil Baijal attacked each other over the issue.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday responded to Baijal's Tuesday letter to Kejriwal in response to an earlier letter by him (Sisodia).

In that letter, Sisodia asked for the l-G's intervention as bureaucrats were not attending important meetings called by ministers. 

On Tuesday, Baijal wrote that the government employees felt "physically insecure, sadly in the very presence of those who have been elected to uphold democracy and rule of law". 

Sisodia on Wednesday condemned the l-G for showing "full support" for the IAS association's "fatwa" (diktat). 

He said that the l-G's letter "strengthened" those who have not been doing their job. 

"For three months, 10,000 Angadwadi workers, 10,000 Anganwadi helpers, and 10,000 Anganwadi landlords have not received their salaries because of them (IAS officers)," he said, adding that it was affecting five lakh children who are beneficiaries of Anganwadi.

"If one IAS officer comes to you with a complaint against a minister, you ignore his faults and start wiping his tears. You encourage him to boycott meetings called by the ministers."

Sisodia attacked the l-G, saying that if the latter was asked to deal with these bureaucrats, he would rather have suggestions to give to the government.

Stressing that the IAS association had the l-G's support and he was always approachable to them, he said: "But if a bunch of Anganwadi workers approach you at your office, they would be lathicharged 2 km away from your office."

"You have yourself been a bureaucrat once, please stop seeing through the eyes of one now and please look at the situation from the point of a three-year-old kid who visits an Anganwadi," he wrote. 

"Please try to understand the arrangement of Raj Niwas and Secretariat. My fight is against that arrangement and not these IAS employees."

Sisodia requested the l-G to order a probe against the officers whose misconduct had led to the Anganwadi workers not being paid on time. 

"Please take strict action against them."

last week, the IAS Association decided to boycott all meetings with ministers in protest against the alleged attack on the Chief Secretary. 

However, officers of the Delhi government made an exception for a Cabinet meeting related to the Budget on Tuesday.