By Gyan Pathak
Sufferings of the people of Delhi have multiplied ever since Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was put behind bar on March 21. He is still the Chief Minister of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Citizens of Delhi have lost access to their Chief Minister. Movements of files have severely impacted. AAP Ministry is there on the seat of power, but the bureaucracy is not listening to them. Lieutenant General of the Union Territory is also not able to ensure smooth running of Delhi Administration. It has resulted in great suffering of the people of Delhi, since everything is moving on snails’ pace. Everywhere there is blame game between AAP and BJP.
The issue of Bureaucracy not following the Delhi Minister’s direction is not new. Even in December last, the Supreme Court of India had to say that the actions or inactions of a chief secretary must not put the elected government at a “standstill”. Such situation had acquired disturbing dimension ever since PM Narendra Modi led Centre came out with new Government of NCT Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021, that put the bureaucracy under direct Control of Lieutenant Governor, away from the democratically elected Delhi’s Ministry.
Delhi’s AAP Government had to go to Supreme Court several time against obstruction of smooth running of administration by bureaucrats, and several times the Supreme Court of India criticized this attitude of bureaucrats, but the situation persists. Only yesterday, on April 1, 2024, Supreme Court of India had to issue notice to the Delhi Finance Secretary on complaint of the elected government of Delhi that an amount of Rs1927 crore payable to Delhi Jal Board as approved by Delhi Assembly for the financial year 2023-24, that ended on March 31, is yet to be released. It was submitted on behalf of LG before the bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra that LG has nothing to do in the matter.
Water supply has been an important issue for Delhi since the entire city is dependent upon treated water. Hence starving the Delhi Jal Board of required finances is a serious matter. Delhi Chief Minister AAP has done commendable work on water supply and other pro-people schemes of health, electricity, and education, all of them are politically sensitive, that had given tremendous clout to AAP, on the strength of which Kejriwal had served humiliating defeat to BJP in the last two Vidhan Sabha elections, and thrown BJP out of power from MCD despite PM Narendra Modi’s aggressive campaigns against Kejriwal. It is well known that AAP ministers holding these portfolios are now put behind bar by Modi government, which people believe to be political so that AAP government could be shown by BJP as performing badly.
Water issue is politically so sensitive that Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal had even issued his first order as CM from jail on March 24 on it so that people of Delhi should not suffer from water and sewer related problem. Later, Delhi cabinet leader Atishi Marlena said Kejriwal instructed her to solve water- and sewer-related problems in some areas of the city. How can the problem be solved if on behalf of Centre led by BJP, Delhi Finance Secretary has blocked the flow of fund to the Delhi Jal Board, on which the Supreme Court bench has issued notice.
This is only given here as an example, to show how things stand in the Delhi Administration, and how people are suffering merely due to political rivalry of two the BJP and the AAP led by PM Narendra Modi and CM Arvind Kejriwal. Since showmanship is the top priority of PM Narendra Modi, how can political adversary like Arvind Kejriwal be tolerated who rendered him humiliating defeats in elections. The rivalry could be seen in several Supreme Court cases over who is real ruler of Delhi, the defeated BJP in Delhi ruling at the Centre, or the elected AAP in Delhi, much before the Delhi Excise Policy case came to light in 2022. Supreme court ordered in favour of elected government but Modi government changed the GNCTD Act and made itself the real boss even if defeated in Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections.
Everybody can see, how Modi government never allowed Delhi Administration by democratically elected AAP government to run smoothly. Numerous court cases filed by AAP for clearance for their schemes, getting finances, and compelling the bureaucracy to follow the orders of the Delhi government on schemes even passed by the Delhi assembly bear the testimony for this situation.
Now there is new controversy whether Arvind Kejriwal should run the Delhi government as CM in jail? BJP is pushing for his resignation, but a Delhi High court ordered had clarified that there is no law that prevents him running his government from jail. Since Delhi government is facing uphill task in keeping files moving smoothly, and people without access to their chief minister in ED custody, and now in judicial custody in Tihar Jail, there must be rethinking on the entire strategy of AAP, so that they can serve people of Delhi more effectively while successfully defeating the political adversary BJP in the forthcoming Lok Sabha election in Delhi.
It should be noted in this regard that PM Modi led BJP government has become more aggressive against AAP ever since the party had announced its alliance with the Congress in Delhi on February 24. BJP had won all 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi in 2019, but the AAP-Congress alliance had instilled a fear in BJP leadership that they may lose all the seats in 2024, at a time PM Modi and BJP are seeking for their third term. CM Kejriwal has been arrested, and the second line of leadership that is running the Delhi government now are likely to be arrested soon, as per the indication given be ED in the special court when the agency told that names of Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj has come in the scene. In this scenario what is the guarantee that even their line of AAP leadership may not be arrested by ED?
On Tuesday, AAP leader and Delhi minister Atishi has stated in a press conference that three other AAP leaders (four has already been arrested) could potentially face arrest. On being asked whether Delhi CM Kejriwal would resign, she said, “There are two constitutional and legal provisions related to this in our country. Representation of the People Act says that if you have a conviction for more than two years, then you cannot remain a public representative. Arvind Kejriwal has not been convicted… Arvind Kejriwal enjoys the overwhelming majority of Delhi Assembly, so there is no reason for Arvind Kejriwal to resign. If Arvind Kejriwal resigns today then it will be very simple and straightforward solution for the Bharatiya Janata Party to topple the opposition governments… .”
Even though her concerns are worth noting, it is for the sake of the people of Delhi the AAP government has been working for almost a decade now, must think of some alternative strategy. In place of somehow running Delhi from jail, it should be fully run through AAP’s second line of leadership. If the second line of leadership is arrested as Delhi Minister Atishi has expressed her fear, third or fourth line of leadership should be ready to hold the flag of the struggle to defend democracy and the right to rule by elected government against the PM Modi’s tyrannical actions of just putting the opposition leaders behind bar for indefinite period under draconian laws without even proving the alleged bribe money trail or launching judicial trial. (IPA Service)
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