New Delhi: The Arvind Kejriwal-led provincial Delhi government has called for a truce in its ongoing turf war with Lt Governor Najeeb Jung.
The government has decided to route all files relating to transfer and appointments through the Lt Governor while it continues to fight for its rights in the Delhi High Court.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday evening called on Jung and informed him about the state government’s willingness to route all files relating to recent transfers and appointments through him following a recent direction to this effect by the Delhi High Court.
The court had last week upheld constitutional authority of the Lt Governor, while agreeing to hear the Delhi government’s plea challenging the federal home ministry’s notification that virtually clips the wings of the belligerent Kejriwal government.
According to sources, Sisodia, a close confidante of chief minister Kejriwal, informed the Lt Governor that the government was in the process of doing necessary paperwork regarding its recent decisions to transfer or appoint some senior bureaucrats including that of Anindo Majumdar as chairman-cum-managing director of Delhi Finance Corporation.
Majumdar found his office chamber doors locked at the orders of Kejriwal after he signed a letter appointing the then power secretary Shakuntala Gamlin as the acting chief secretary.
The Kejriwal government was opposed to Gamlin taking over as the acting chief secretary even for 10 days but Majumdar went with orders of the Lt Governor, infuriating Kejriwal.
The Delhi turf war started almost as soon as the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took over in February this year following its massive victory in the state legislative assembly elections.
It however turned into a battle after the Lt Governor decided to name Gamlin as the acting chief secretary while Delhi chief secretary K.K. Sharma went on 10-day long leave despite objections of Kejriwal.
Kejriwal’s government in retaliation shunted Majumdar out of his position and ordered all bureaucrats not to take direct verbal or written orders from the Lt Governor unless it was routed through the chief minister or the concerned ministers.
According to sources, Sisodia informed Jung on Tuesday that the government was willing to follow the court order and files about appointments and transfers ordered since then was being prepared by the services department and would be sent to him for necessary approval soon.
Several senior bureaucrats who were caught in the crossfire of the Kejriwal versus Jung war found themselves in Catch-22 situations and opted not to take charge of their new assignments.
In all, the Kejriwal government had reshuffled nine Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers without the sanction of the Lt Governor.
The two parties were once again at loggerheads on Monday when the Kejriwal government decided to induct six police officers from Bihar into the Delhi Anti Corruption Bureau. The Lt Governor’s office reacted sharply to it.
Sources said that senior bureaucrats who were forced to display their loyalties for either the chief minister or the Lt Governor approached chief secretary Sharma who intervened and talked to both Jung and Kejriwal to work out a truce pending the Delhi High Court verdict since functioning of the Delhi government had virtually come to a standstill.
