Undignified face-off

The undignified face-off between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutent Governor jeeb Jung seems to be reaching a flashpoint with Kejriwal now reportedly seeking a meeting with the President to complain against Jung. Meanwhile Delhi’s Principal Secretary (Services) Anindo Majumdar found himself locked out of his office in Delhi Secretariat on Monday, showing clearly how ugly the row has become. It was Majumdar who had issued the order confirming senior IAS officer Shakuntala Doley Gamlin’s appointment as the acting Chief Secretary after the Delhi CM had asked her not to take up the post. Kejriwal and the AAP leadership allege that Gamlin is ucceptable because she is close to power distribution companies and had tried to favour them in the past. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju then waded right into this CM vs L-G turf war, lambasting the AAP government for indulging in character assassition of a senior, capable officer and thereby insulting the people of the Northeast. Kejriwal himself has accused the BJP government at the Centre of trying to undermine his AAP government through the office of the Lieutent Governor. The problem is that Delhi is not a full-fledged state. Its erstwhile Union Territory status limits it to a glorified municipality at best, with many powers vested with the Lieutent Governor as well as the Central government. The AAP has to deliver on its stunning mandate in Delhi, but feels itself hamstrung and blocked at every turn. And if the AAP fails in Delhi, its dreams of spreading outwards from the capital to become a viable tiol altertive will crash surely. This may explain Kejriwal’s determition to assert his authority, but does not excuse the strident, rough-shod manner he is going about it. His lustre also stands much diminished after the unceremonious expulsion of senior founder-leaders like Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from the AAP. It is clear Arvind Kejriwal has much to imbibe about governce before he gets down to governing.