Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal on Friday assured the Aam Aadmi Party government of his support and cooperation in the larger interests of the national capital.
Baijal gave this assurance during a meeting with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, two days after the Supreme Court ruled that the central representative was bound by the constitution to listen to the national capital’s democratically elected government. With this, Baijal and Kejriwal finally seem to have buried the hatchet in their long-running tussle over the city’s governance.
‘Met Hon’ble CM @ArvindKejriwal & Hon’ble Dy. CM @msisodia. Assured them of my continued support & cooperation in the interest of good governance & overall development of Delhi as per the letter and spirit of Constitution,’ Baijal tweeted soon after the meeting.
The chief minister was quick to respond with a word of gratitude, and a reminder that the apex court’s direction should be adhered to. ‘Thank you sir. All of us should work together for the development of Delhi. Constitution is supreme. Orders of SC become the law of the land. They must be respected,’ Kejriwal said on Twitter.
Kejriwal had warned Baijal and bureaucrats of the state government on Thursday that executive powers related to ‘services’, specifically postings and transfers of civil servants, rests with the council of ministers and the lieutenant governor clearing any file relating to the subject would amount to contempt of court.
In a four-page letter to the lieutenant governor, Kejriwal also said the government would no longer require his ‘concurrence’ on any matter other than the reserved subjects of public order, police and land. Copies of the letter were released by the chief minister’s office.
HT
