AAP accuses LG of 'interfering' in govt's work, forgetting his remit

The Aam Aadmi Party accused Lieutenant Governor Vinai Saxena of interfering in the Delhi government's work and conspiring to derail democracy

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena of interfering in the Delhi government's work and conspiring to derail democracy as he visited two DJB facilities and a sewage treatment plant on Saturday.

The allegation comes a day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met Saxena and announced he will meet him every Friday for better coordination to address the city's issues.

The latest tussle between the AAP and the LG started last Wednesday when some AAP MLAs accused the newly-appointed LG of intruding in the Delhi government's work.

The AAP then had said that since Saxena was a newcomer, perhaps he was not aware of the constitutional provisions for governing the NCT of Delhi.

Atishi, the AAP MLA from Kalkaji, on Saturday again hit out at the LG saying that he was continuously making a mockery of Delhi's constitutional arrangement as he called another meeting of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials without informing the CM.

The post of the LG is a constitutional one, and to sit at that position and to make a mockery of the provisions of the constitution does not reflect well on anyone, Atishi said in a press conference.

She said that Supreme Court's Constitutional Bench has clearly stated that the LG only has power over Land, Law & Order and Police, everything else is under the elected government.

She alleged that Delhi's law and order situation is in shambles since the new LG took oath with dozens of shameful incidents like sexual harassment in the metro, and rape in areas like CR Park.

LG is acting like a dummy of the BJP's central government. His continuous infringement upon Kejriwal government's powers points towards a conspiracy towards destabilising India's democracy, a party statement later quoted Atishi as saying.

Earlier in the day, the LG conducted an inspection of Najafgarh drain and also visited two DJB facilities, including Pappankalan sewage treatment plant, and Dhansa Regulator with officials of the DJB and Irrigation and Flood Control department.

The LG also directed officials to chalk out a time-bound plan to develop the Najafgarh drain into an eco tourism destination.

Reminding the LG of his remit, Atishi requested him to pay attention towards safety of women, sanitation, and law and order issues in the city.

I would once again like to request the LG to work on those domains that come directly under him. The LG has the authority to work on cleanliness, he can ask the DDA to work on providing housing to the citizens, he can work on improving the law and order of the city, Atishi said.

Meanwhile, during his inspection tour, the LG travelled along the entire 57-km length of the Najafgarh drain from Chhawla on Haryana Border in southwest to Wazirabad in north Delhi.

The LG said that a meeting will be convened during the next week with the Chief Minister and concerned minister and officers to chalk out a concrete and time bound plan of action detailing coordinated efforts towards developing the Nazafgarh drain into a favoured Eco tourism destination, his office said in a statement said.

Saxena made several stops downstream and got down to inspect embankments and plantations, the volume of water in the drain, status of silting, and the desilting works being done there.

According to the statement, Saxena emphasized upon the need to plant flowering varieties of trees instead of Kikar on the embankments, removal of hyacinth that hinders the flow of the drain, and a thorough and complete desilting of the drain.

He also directed the officials to increase the STP capacities in the capital.

He said that with planning and inter-departmental efforts, even the waste mounds and polluted drains could be turned into assets.