Delhi LG crossing boundaries set by the constitution; claims not just DDA & Delhi Police but whole of Delhi under his control: Somnath Bharti
AAP’s delegation of nine MLAs meets with Delhi LG; appeals to him not interfere with the elected government’s work: Somnath Bharti
The attitude and body language of BJP-led Centre’s nominated LG makes it clear that he wishes to meddle with the work that people of Delhi chose CM Arvind Kejriwal to do: Somnath Bharti
Deplorable for the LG to claim that ‘the entire Delhi is his’ when the Supreme Court itself states that besides land, law & order, and police, all other subject matters fall under the jurisdiction of the elected Chief Minister: Somnath Bharti
Condition of DDA, Delhi Police, and MCD extremely poor in Delhi; hope that the new LG will work towards improving it: Somnath Bharti
Hope that the LG will uphold the boundaries drawn between the LG and the CM by the Babasaheb’s constitution, and will work accordingly in the future: Somnath Bharti
NEW DELHI:
AAP’s delegation of nine MLAs met with Delhi’s LG Vinai Kumar Saxena and appealed to him not to interfere with the elected government’s work. Divulging details about the meeting, AAP Senior Leader and MLA Shri Somnath Bharti said, “Delhi LG is refusing to fall in line, and has expressed his desire to continue infringing upon the Kejriwal Government’s powers. The LG is crossing constitutional boundaries by claiming that not just DDA & Delhi Police, but the whole of Delhi is under his control. The attitude and body language of BJP-led Centre’s nominated LG makes it clear that he wishes to meddle with the work that people of Delhi chose CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal to do. It is deplorable for the LG to claim that ‘the entire Delhi is his’ when the Supreme Court itself states that besides land, law & order, and police, all other subject matters fall under the jurisdiction of the elected Chief Minister. The condition of the DDA, the Delhi Police, and the MCD is extremely poor, and we hope that the new LG will work towards improving it. We are also hopeful that the LG will uphold the boundaries drawn between the LG and the CM by Babasaheb’s constitution, and will work accordingly for the development of Delhi.” MLAs Shri Praveen Kumar, Shri Ajay Dutt, Shri SK Bagga, Shri Madan Lal were also present in the meeting among others.
Shri Somnath Bharti said, “As per the constitution, matters relating to land, police, and law & order in Delhi fall under the purview of the Lieutenant Governor. All other departments besides these three come under the jurisdiction of Delhi’s elected Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal and his government. My colleagues and I raised concerns regarding Delhi’s law & order situation, DDA related problems, and other matters in front of LG Shri Vinai Kumar. We mentioned how the number of heinous crimes have increased manifold and the condition of law and order in Delhi is in shambles, causing the common public to live in fear everyday. We also addressed how all the requests made by the elected AAP Government in Delhi to the DDA were snubbed. I served as a member of the DDA myself and witnessed our request for land to build Mohalla Clinics get turned down. Our appeal for land for several government events was also not accepted. Hence, we asserted how even the DDA is going against the interest and hopes of Delhi residents.”
He continued, “We further voiced our apprehension about the unconstitutional manner in which the MCD elections, scheduled to be held in April 2022, were deferred by the BJP, and how the entire MCD was brought under the control of the BJP-led Centre. All of us tried to bring to the LG’s notice the negligence of services which are MCD’s responsibilities – lax in cleanliness and garbage lining the streets throughout Delhi. We reiterated that the departments which come directly under the LG’s purview, i.e, Delhi Police and the MCD, are plagued with endless problems. However, it is with a heavy heart that I say this, on behalf of all my colleagues, that LG Shri Vinai Kumar claimed that the entire Delhi is his, not just the 3 aforementioned departments. It is condemnable for the LG to make such a statement despite our repeated assertions about the constitutional arrangement of Delhi. International standards have been introduced in departments that fall under the Kejriwal Government like education, health, water, electricity, and more. We therefore appealed to the LG to establish similar standards in Delhi Police, the DDA, and the MCD, which are his responsibilities.”
Shri Somnath Bharti added, “However, it is unfortunate and deplorable for the LG to claim that ‘the entire Delhi is his’ when constitutional boundaries have been set by the Supreme Court itself, stating that besides land, law & order, and police, all other subject matters will fall under the jurisdiction of the elected Chief Minister. We had been hoping that unlike his predecessor, the new LG would bring a balance to Delhi’s governance matters, honour the constitution and Supreme Court’s orders, and coordinate well with the elected Kejriwal Government to work for the development of the National Capital. But I regret to inform the people that no such efforts are being made by the new LG, nor has he tried to send a message signalling that he will stick to his constitutional jurisdiction. I want to tell all Delhi residents that by interfering with the functioning of your elected government, the LG is stepping on your rights. You have chosen a government led by Shri Arvind Kejriwal not once, but thrice in the past decade, for him to represent and fulfil your hopes and dreams.”
He concluded, “However, the attitude and body language of BJP-controlled LG Shri Vinai Kumar clearly shows his aim to interfere with the elected government’s work. The LG’s statements depict that he had made up his mind to meddle with responsibilities that the people of Delhi chose CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal for. When my colleague Shri Praveen Kumar mentioned that the LG has three subject matters under his control, the LG retorted by telling us to ‘not live under this misconception’ and that ‘all subject matters are under him’. This is a deeply unfortunate stance for the LG to have, and we staunchly condemn his statements. Lastly, we hope that you will uphold the boundaries drawn between you and the elected Delhi Government by the constitution given to us by Babasaheb, and that you will work accordingly in the future.”