Kejriwal points fingers at Modi, PMO

NEW DELHI, Jan 1: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday targeted rendra Modi and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for allegedly masterminding the mass casual leave taken by IAS officers here and the CBI raid at the Delhi Secretariat.

“The Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS) Association is working as a B-team of the Bharatiya Jata Party. I suspended three officers after they failed to provide relief material after a demolition drive. Three officers were suspended after auto-permit scam,” Kejriwal said during an interview to CNN-IBN TV news channel.

“Two officers refused to agree to a few cabinet decisions. We suspended them. The officers called a meeting when Lieutent Governor jeeb Jung was in Goa. He participated in the meeting through speaker phone. In that meeting, it was decided that the officers will go on mass casual leave,” he added.

Kejriwal said, “The LG said he was in touch with the PMO, (PM’s Principal Secretary) Nripendra Mishra and the home secretary. The PMO is getting the mass casual leave done. It is masterminded by Nripendra Mishra on the directions of the prime minister. All directions are coming from the PMO. Who ordered raid at my office? It was done by rendra Modi.”

The Delhi chief minister asserted that the cabinet was supreme and no “hooliganism” by bureaucrats would be tolerated. “IAS officers played politics... we will not tolerate this goondaism. All those IAS officers who have problem with our government should leave Delhi,” he added.

Kejriwal urged Modi to allow his government to function in 2016. “The PMO declares all my orders null and void. He targets me unfairly. The Centre wanted to foil the odd-even scheme by making senior officers go on strike. I just want to request Modi-ji to allow us to work.”

Asked if he ever tried to get in touch with Modi, Kejriwal said, “I tried to talk to him during Diwali, but he snubbed me.”

As for hiring experts instead of bureaucrats for better governce, the chief minister said: “Bureaucrats don’t have the expertise in a lot of things. Governce is becoming very technical. Experts are needed for this. Bureaucracy tries to be an obstruction in everything. They cannot give solutions. The Delhi government will hire a consultant to advise us about the fields for which we need experts from outside. If you have to get the bureaucracy to function, some tough action must be taken.” (IANS)