The chief minister (in pic) and the lieutenant governor met on Friday after a gap of two months. Both sides shared their own accounts of what transpired in the meeting. , Photo Credit: ANI
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Friday’s meeting between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant-Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena, their first since October last year, ended in a standoff, with both sides sharing their accounts of what happened at the meeting and each other Accused of “cooking”. Stories.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Mr Kejriwal said, “In 2018, the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court had passed an order stating that the LG has no independent decision-making power in respect of transferred subjects. has been handed over. But the LG termed the order as ‘mere opinion’ and said that he does not accept it.
Responding to the CM’s allegations, a Raj Niwas official said all statements made by Mr Kejriwal regarding Supreme Court orders were “misleading, patently false, fabricated and twisted to suit a particular agenda”. were done”. “These statements are categorically denied,” the official said.
The CM and LG have been at the center of a public spat, which gained momentum after the former wrote a series of letters to Mr. Saxena questioning his decisions, including the nomination of 10 aldermen to the municipality, which Mr. Kejriwal described. as a “fraud on the constitution”. The LG responded by inviting the CM for a meeting “in the interest of a conflict-free governance of the city”. The Aam Aadmi Party regime and the Center are meanwhile embroiled in a legal battle in the Supreme Court over control of the bureaucracy of the Delhi government.
went to settle differences
Mr Kejriwal said he met the LG to discuss matters of concern and iron out differences, but was “shocked when the LG said he is the ‘administrator’ of Delhi and the ‘administrator’ can do anything”. “. He described Mr Saxena as an “obstructionist”.
In response, the LG House official said, “The Chief Minister would also be advised to act in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, Parliamentary Acts and Supreme Court judgments and refrain from setting aside an existing law just because it has been challenged.” Is.” in the court of law.
According to the official, the Lt Governor asked the Chief Minister “not to politicize every issue”.
The official said that during the meeting, Mr. Saxena discussed various issues in the city, including the condition of roads, Yamuna, pollution, delay in projects like AIIMS redevelopment, corruption in government departments and the fact that there are no new flyovers or underpasses. have been built in the city in the last eight years.
The official said the LG also responded to various issues raised by the CM and explained the rationale behind appointing 10 aldermen, constituting the Haj Committee and other issues raised by the CM.
In a statement, the Delhi government categorically denied “every single claim made by the Lt Governor’s office” after the meeting between the two officials.
“The LG’s office has fabricated stories which were never discussed in the meeting,” the statement said. It accused the LG of subverting the constitution.