Najeeb Jung helped in privatisation of ONGC field

Delhi’s lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung, who was again in limelight after the Delhi high court’s verdict declaring the lieutenant-governor as the head of the “administrative affairs,” is a former bureaucrat who graduated from St. Stephen’s College of the Delhi University. His career graph peaked from a Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer in 1973, to joint secretary (explorations) in the Union ministry of petroleum and joining Reliance Industries after quitting from the service.

Mr Jung played a pivotal role in the privatisation of the public sector Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s Panna-Mukta oil field that went to a consortium of Reliance-ONGC and British Gas. After his initial stint with Reliance industries, Mr Jung moved to London to pursue higher studies. On his return in 2008, Mr Jung became the head of the energy wing of Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries. During this stint, he looked after the group’s relations with the government, and reportedly, supervising controversial lobbyist Niira Radia of 2G Scam tapes fame.

Later, he moved back to academics, but remained with the Reliance Group and joined the company-funded think tank Observer Research Foundation in the national capital. He had also worked at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (Oxford University) on various energy-related issues.

Being a face from the minority community from the Old Delhi area, Mr Jung was appointed the V-C of the Jamia Millia Islamia in 2009. His tenure as the vice-chancellor continued till 2013, after which he was appointed the lieutenant-governor of Delhi in 2013.

The turf war between Mr Jung and the AAP government has a long history. It started in 2014, during chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s 49-day stint in power for the first time and has continued in the party’s second tenure. The AAP has repeatedly alleged that Mr Jung was working at the behest of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party had earlier alleged that Mr Jung was an “agent” of the Congress, after he had refu-sed to give permission for tabling the Janlokpal Bill in the Delhi Assembly in 2014.