NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has accused chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers of running away from their constitutional duties and said he has not received any “satisfactory reply” from the AAP government over issues related to excise policy, power subsidy and other matters raised by him.
Amid an ongoing letter war between the two sides which are locked in a bitter tussle, Saxena, in a fresh missive to Kejriwal dated October 7, launched a scathing attack on the AAP government, saying its rule, based on “speeches and advertisement”, was alienated from basic works of public interest.
The LG also took umbrage at Kejriwal’s sarcastic remarks where he referred to a previous communication from Saxena as a “love letter”, and hoped that he would instead accept it as a “letter of duty”.
Saxena said that his letters and instructions were meant to caution the government against “errors and shortcomings” in its functioning yet he was personally attacked and became a target of “baseless allegations.”
The LG flagged his instructions regarding a probe in the now-scrapped excise policy, the absence of Kejriwal or his ministers at an event attended by the President, power subsidy, recruitment of teachers, and several other issues, and asked if he was wrong in doing that.
Saxena emphasised his commitment was solely towards the Constitution and the people of Delhi and asserted he will continue to work with this inspiration.
Reacting to it, Kejriwal alleged that the BJP, through the LG, was trying to harm the interests of the people of Delhi
“Today another love letter has arrived,” he said repeating the barb.
“The BJP through the LG is bent on destroying Delhi people’s lives. Every day they create a fuss over something. I want to assure Delhi people- there is no need to worry, till your son is alive I will not let any harm come to you,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor said in another tweet.
Kejriwal had earlier also taken a dig at the LG, saying he was scolded by Saxena more than he was scolded by his wife.
The LG’s letter comes days after deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia accused him of interfering in the AAP government’s functioning and “unconstitutionally” setting up probes on its decisions and works.
Saxena accused Kejriwal and his associates of levelling false allegations and spreading them through social media causing “irreparable loss” to the people they targeted.
Saxena also mentioned former finance minister Arun Jaitley, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, and former Punjab minister Vikramjeet Singh Majeethia against whom Kejriwal had levelled allegations and later apologised.
Terming Sisodia’s letter as well as those by other AAP leaders as “pointless” and “misleading”, the LG added, “I am sorry that apart from crossing all limits of dignity, you and your allies are constantly running away from your constitutional duties and responsibilities of governance.”
“Your governance system, which is running on the basis of advertisements and speeches, seems to be completely alienated from the basic works of public interest,” he alleged.
Saxena said that whenever he tried to bring any shortcomings of governance to the fore and requested them to be redressed, Kejriwal and his colleagues not only “misled” the people and avoided any response, but also levelled unfounded and personal allegations against him.
“I would like to remind you that the topics which were conveyed to you in writing by me were all issues related to the well-being and good governance of the common citizens of Delhi,” he said.
He charged that Kejriwal and his allies, instead of taking satisfactory action or giving proper answers on the issues raised, retaliated by mounting personal attacks and allegations, thereby diverting the issue at hand.
“It is with utmost regret that I have to say that all this is being done by you and your allies as per a well-thought-out policy,” he wrote to Kejriwal.
“When the facts come to the fore, you even apologise shamelessly, though then irreparable loss happens to the person accused in the public domain and you gain politically,” he hit out at Kejriwal.
AAP leaders, in the recent past, had accused Saxena of corruption during his previous posting as chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission.
“Against me too, your colleagues have made a malafide attempt to create an atmosphere of mistrust through media and social media by making highly objectionable, fabricated and false allegations to divert from the issues,” he wrote.
Saxena urged Kejriwal “to refrain from doing so in future in the interest of political correctness, constitutional values, common social etiquette and national interest.”
Responding to Sisodia’s recent letter in which he reiterated his demand for a probe into the alleged Rs 6000-crore scam in the MCD, the LG said the matter was taken up by him.
“I have been completely impartial and conscientious in the discharge of my constitutional responsibilities. As the Lieutenant Governor, I have taken prompt and appropriate action against corruption, inaction and opacity in any government department or body,” the LG said.
Saxena said he had taken immediate cognisance of the allegations leveled against MCD by Sisodia and sought a report.
The municipal corporation, as per the report, cancelled the contract by taking action against the agency concerned for not depositing the amount in time and necessary action was also being taken for the recovery of pending dues, he said.
Several court cases were also pending in this regard at the Supreme Court, Delhi, Mumbai and National Company Law Tribunal, he stated. (PTI)