‘I Was Hurt’: In Letter To Aitishi, Delhi L-G Flags Kejriwal’s ‘Temporary CM’ Remark; She Reacts

Last Updated:December 30, 2024, 23:35 IST

In a letter, Delhi L-G VK Saxena praised CM Atishi while expressing concern that AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had labelled her a “temporary chief minister”

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Monday hit back at Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena saying she was running the government on “path shown by Arvind Kejriwal”, after he expressed concern over the AAP chief labelling her a “temporary chief minister”.

Alleging Saxena’s office was working as a BJP “proxy”, Atishi said he should focus on “betterment of Delhi” instead of indulging in petty politics. “Instead of doing dirty politics, focus on the betterment of Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal ji worked for the betterment of Delhi for nine and a half years. I am running the government following the path shown by Arvind Kejriwal ji,” she said, asserting that Kejriwal was Delhi’s “tallest leader” as the people had repeatedly elected him.

In a letter, Saxena praised Atishi while expressing concern that Kejriwal had labelled her a “temporary chief minister”. He also called it a “flagrant disregard for the democratic spirit and values enshrined in the Constitution”.

In reply, Atishi also mentioned that she was “personally hurt as a woman” by his interference in the ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’. “Obstruction of the ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’ is a clear testimony of politicisation of the lieutenant governor’s office. As a woman, I am personally anguished by your recent steps to malign and create hurdles for this scheme,” she said.

She said it was disheartening to note that Saxena’s letter focused on “criticism rather than constructive cooperation”, pointing out that his responsibility was to maintain law and order and keep the people of Delhi safe.

“It’s the one job that you are directly responsible for and mandated to do. Unfortunately, you have miserably failed in keeping this city safe. A former MP is distributing money to lure voters right under your nose but you illegally gave him police protection,” she alleged, in a reference to BJP leader Parvesh Verma.

WHAT DID THE L-G SAY IN HIS LETTER?

Earlier in the day, Delhi L-G VK Saxena expressed his objection to AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s comment on his successor Atishi being “a temporary-makeshift chief minister”. In his letter to Atishi, he said: “I found it very objectionable and hurt when a few days ago, your predecessor Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal publicly declared you as a temporary-makeshift Chief Minister in the media.”

Saxena said by such words, Kejriwal had insulted the President of India who appointed the two of them — Atishi and himself — and administered the oath to her. “This was not only an insult to you, but also an insult to your employer Her Excellency the President of India and to me as her representative. The public interpretation of temporary or makeshift Chief Minister given by Kejriwal has no constitutional provision and it is also a reprehensible disregard of the democratic spirit and values enshrined in the Constitution drafted by Baba Saheb Ambedkar,” he said in his letter,” he said.

He further said he was writing the letter in a personal capacity; however, he opened his letter to the chief minister with much praise for her work and taking charge of the department unlike her predecessor, who does not hold a government department and did not sign files.

“On the occasion of swearing in you as the Chief Minister, I had also congratulated you wholeheartedly and wished you and in the period from then till now, for the first time in my two and a half years of tenure, I saw a person holding the post of Chief Minister doing the work of the Chief Minister. Where your predecessor Chief Minister did not have a single department of the government and neither did he sign files, you took charge of many departments and tried to work on various issues of administration,” he wrote.

The Delhi L-G highlighted several issues concerning previous governance, pointing out warnings issued by government departments about schemes promoted by Kejriwal, which were reportedly non-existent. He raised the issue of the former CM claiming that Atishi will be arrested in a fake case pertaining to the transport department, a charge denied by the department.

He further voiced his disappointment over the negative portrayal of Atishi, stressing that such narratives could have adverse effects on her role as a full-time CM. He had earlier offered words of praise for Atishi, calling her “a thousands times better” than her predecessor, with whom he had several run-ins — on legal, administrative, and governance issues — over the past months.

Atishi took oath as the CM in September after Kejriwal resigned following his imprisonment in the Delhi liquor policy case. The AAP convener resigned after he walked out of Tihar Jail, where he was lodged for five months.

(With PTI inputs)