Delhi LG removes AAP govt nominees from discom boards

New Delhi: 'Government nominees', including AAP leader Jasmine Shah, appointed to the boards of power discoms in Delhi by the Arvind Kejriwal-led dispensation have been replaced with senior officials, sources at the Lieutenant Governor's office said on Saturday.

Besides Shah, a spokesperson of the AAP, those removed from the boards include Naveen Gupta, son of AAP MP N D Gupta, and other private persons "illegally" appointed as 'government nominees', they claimed.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party termed the LG's orders removing Shah and Gupta from the boards of discoms "illegal and unconstitutional". The LG does not have the power to issue such orders, it claimed.

The sources at the LG's office, meanwhile, said the finance secretary, power secretary and the MD of Delhi Transco will now represent the city government on the boards of the discoms, in line with the prevalent practice.

Delhi LG V K Saxena had ordered the immediate removal of Shah, Gupta and other private individuals "illegally" appointed as government nominees to the boards of the BYPL, BRPL and the TPDDL, they said.

The AAP, however, said only the elected government has powers to issue orders on the subject of electricity. "The LG has made a complete mockery of all Supreme Court orders and the Constitution. He is openly going around saying that SC orders are not binding on him," the party added.

The LG had invoked "difference of opinion" under Article 239AA of the Constitution of India after the Kejriwal government persisted upon their continuance as government nominees, despite "proven misconduct and maleficence", by allegedly benefiting the discoms to the tune of more than 8,000 crore, the sources claimed.

Saxena had referred the matter to the President of India for a decision. He had asked for the removal of the "political appointees" from the discom boards with immediate effect, they added.

The Delhi government owns 49 per cent stake in the discoms. Senior officers used to serve on the boards of the discoms earlier, but the Kejriwal government started nominating politically affiliated persons to them, the sources claimed. 

Removal of govt members from discom boards by Delhi LG illegal: Sisodia

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia dubbed the removal of the Kejriwal dispensation-appointed members from discom boards by LG V K Saxena as "unconstitutional and illegal".

The LG has started a new trend of reversing decisions taken by the elected government of Delhi, Sisodia said at a press conference here.

The deputy chief minister also rubbished the charges that the members appointed by the Arvind Kejriwal government provided benefits to the tune of Rs 8,000 crore to the private discoms.

The LG can get the alleged "scam" investigated by any central agency, he added.