Is L-G accountable to Queen Elizabeth or Trump, asks Delhi CM

New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said that the elected government in Delhi, which is responsible and accountable to people, has been rendered powerless and the lieutenant-governor enjoys unlimited powers without any responsibility and accountability. 

Attacking the L-G, Mr Kejriwal said he stalls issues of public interest saying, “I don’t think it’s a good idea”. Mr Kejriwal further questioned whether the L-G is accountable to Queen Elizabeth or President Donald Trump. 

Mr Kejriwal urged for all powers that the state government had during his Congress predecessor Sheila Dikshit’s tenure be restored.

Speaking in the Assembly, Mr Kejriwal demanded that the Services Department and Anti Corruption Branch should be given back to Delhi government, powers for transfer, posting and vigilance inquiry into officers, should be restored and all files should not be sent to the lieutenant-governor for approval. The chief minister said that the L-G was accountable only to the Bharatiya Janata Party, who appointed him and Mr Baijal does things, which Hitler would not have done.

He further said that Ms Dikshit’s government had powers to arrest and jail corrupt officers but these were snatched away by the Modi government three months after he came to power.

He complained that during Ms Dikshit’s tenure, there was no requirement of sending every file to the L-G and that the then government had the power to carry out recruitment for filling up vacancies and fresh posts in Delhi government departments.

Mr Kejriwal further said that a proposal for Delhi Health Corporation was rejected by the L-G with a note saying: “I don’t think it’s a good idea.” 

“Which rule was it violating? Like this even Hitler won’t do,” he said, adding that by not filling vacancies and saving corrupt officers, the Lt. Governor wants to end the work happening in Delhi.

He also said Delhi is faced with a strange governance scenario, which “appears unprecedented in any democratic set-up across the world”. “The elected government which is responsible and accountable to the people has no power and the LG today enjoys unlimited powers without any responsibility and accountability.”