Tussle deepens, AAP accuses Delhi L-G VK Saxena of interfering in govt work

Karam Prakash

New Delhi, January 17

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Tuesday accused Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena of “interfering” in the functioning of the Delhi Government and said it had become a norm for Governors in Opposition-ruled states to stall the working of democratically elected governments in the country.

Addressing the Delhi Assembly, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said: “Who is he (the L-G)? People elected us, not him. This is democracy. When I read out SC orders to him, he told me, ‘He was appointed by the President.’ I replied: ‘Just like the Viceroys were appointed during the British rule’.”

Kejriwal further said the L-G suffered from a “feudal mindset”. “Turning down a proposal of teachers’ training in Finland is an example of his feudal mindset. Though BJP MPs have studied in foreign countries, they would stall every attempt to improve the Delhi education system, which is meant for poor children,” he said.

AAP legislators passed a resolution in the Assembly in support of the teachers’ training programme in Finland.

In the resolution, the L-G has been asked to desist from “interfering” in the functioning of the state government.

Reacting to the AAP’s allegation, Delhi BJP working president Virendra Sachdeva said the CM was misinterpreting Supreme Court’s observations as orders. “Since 1952, governments of different parties have ruled Delhi. All those parties accepted that Capital is a UT and hence, the Lt Governor is the administrator,” he noted. BJP MLAs wore black clothes and turbans in the Assembly to protest against the alleged corruption and scams of the AAP government.

Five BJP legislators suspended for a day

In all, five BJP MLAs were suspended from the Assembly on Tuesday after they protested against Speaker Ram Niwas Goel. They blamed the Speaker for not allowing a discussion on the issue of corruption. The Speaker had to order marshals to take the BJP MLAs out of the House. Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri himself walked out of the House in protest.

L-G’s not my headmaster: Delhi CM

Not even my teachers checked my homework as the L-G scrutinises my files. The L-G is not my headmaster. People have elected me as Chief Minister. — Arvind Kejriwal, CM