NEW DELHI: The tussle between the constitutional and elected heads of Delhi was aggravated on Saturday when lieutenant governor VK Saxena accused chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of not giving satisfactory replies on matters related to the lives of common people and the latter dismissing the LG’s letter as yet another “prem patra” (love letter). In a six-page letter, Saxena accused Kejriwal and his ministers of running away from their “constitutional duties” and “responsibilities of governance” and added that the AAP government was “alienated from basic works of public interest”. Taking a dig at Kejriwal’s earlier ‘love letter’ comment, Saxena said he hoped the CM would accept his latest communication as a “letter of duty” from the “guardian of Delhi”. The LG’s letter comes days after deputy CM Manish Sisodia accused Saxena of interfering in the state government’s functioning and “unconstitutionally” initiating probes into its decisions and works. Expressing displeasure at accusations of political bias, the LG said he was only trying to discharge his constitutional responsibilities by cautioning the state government of “errors and shortcomings” in its functioning. In probably his first letter to Kejriwal in Hindi, the LG wrote, “Apart from crossing all limits of dignity, you and your allies are constantly running away from your constitutional duties and responsibilities of governance.” Saxena said his commitment was solely towards the Constitution and the people of Delhi. Referring to his previous letters related to the now-withdrawn excise policy, alleged irregularities in construction of classrooms, late tabling of CAG audit reports, delay in permission to fell or translocate trees for infrastructure projects, and more recently, on the absence of Kejriwal and his colleagues from events commemorating the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri, Saxena said the matters conveyed to Kejriwal were all related to the well-being and good governance of Delhi and questioned if he was wrong in doing so. Responding to Sisodia’s recent letter demanding a probe into the alleged Rs 6,000-crore scam in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the LG said he had taken immediate cognisance of the allegations and sought a report. He added that as per the report, the civic body had cancelled the contract of the defaulting agency and necessary action was also being taken for the recovery of the pending dues. “I have been completely impartial and conscientious in the discharge of my constitutional responsibilities. As the lieutenant governor, I have taken prompt and appropriate action against corruption, inaction and opacity in any government department or body,” he said. Saxena also mentioned that Kejriwal had levelled allegations against former finance minister Arun Jaitley, Union minister Nitin Gadkari and former Punjab minister Vikramjeet Singh Majeethia and had to apologise to them. “When the facts come to the fore, you apologise shamelessly, though by then irreparable loss happens to the person accused in the public domain and you gain politically,” the LG said. Several AAP leaders have accused Saxena of corruption during his previous posting as chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission and demanded his removal from the LG’s post. “Against me too, your colleagues have made malafide attempt to create an atmosphere of mistrust through media and social media by making highly objectionable, fabricated and false allegations to divert from the issues,” Saxena wrote. “I urge you to refrain from doing so in future in the interest of political correctness, constitutional values, common social etiquette and national interest.”
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/not-love-letter-but-letter-of-duties-lg-writes-to-cm/articleshow/94732501.cms