In a letter to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia complained of “undue interference in the elected government’s work” and said all of the L-G’s “investigations are illegal and unconstitutional”.
Sisodia’s letter coincided with the L-G ordering a probe into the alleged irregularities in the power subsidy scheme of the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government in the national capital, another flashpoint besides the ongoing liquor policy scam probe by the CBI in which Sisodia has been named an accused.
“Except for issues like land, police, public order and services, the elected government has the right to take decisions,” Sisodia said in the letter written in Hindi.
Stating that the L-G has been regularly ordering probes into decisions taken by the elected government in Delhi, Sisodia alleged these inquiries were “illegal and unconstitutional”.
Nothing has come out of the probe into the “so-called” bus procurement scam, school scam, liquor scam, but it weakens the morale of officers, Sisodia said, and urged the L-G to work “according to the Constitution”.
The letter also came a day after L-G Saxena accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministerial colleagues of showing “utter disregard” towards the commemoration of the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri by not attending the events organised for the purpose.
LATEST FLASHPOINT
L-G Saxena’s order to probe the AAP government’s free power scheme in Delhi prompted a strong response from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who linked it to the Gujarat polls and claimed the move was aimed at stalling the free electricity initiative.
Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar has reportedly been asked to conduct an inquiry and submit a report within a week. According to a PTI report, Saxena’s action followed a complaint filed at the L-G Secretariat which raised issues of “impropriety and discrepancies” in the power subsidy scheme of the Kejriwal government.
“The LG has asked the chief secretary to conduct an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the power subsidy amount given by the AAP government to BSES discoms and sought a report within seven days,” the report quoted a source at the L-G office as saying.
The LG has also asked the chief secretary to probe the non-implementation of power subsidy payment to consumers through Direct Benefit Transfer as ordered by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission in 2018, the report added.
Chief Minister Kejriwal linked the probe to the Assembly polls in Gujarat, where he is engaged in hectic campaigning, and alleged the BJP was trying to obstruct the free power scheme of his government. He said the AAP’s “free electricity guarantee” has been received “very well” by the people of Gujarat.
“That’s why the BJP wants to stop free electricity in Delhi… But have faith in me,” Kejriwal said in a tweet addressed to the people of Delhi. “I will not allow your free power to be stopped at any cost.” He also assured the people of Gujarat “your power will also be free from March 1” if the AAP forms a government there.
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