Delhi govt calls for two-day emergency Assembly session

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has called a two-day emergency session of the Delhi Assembly from Tuesday (May 26) following a standoff with the Lieutenant Governor and the Centre over its powers.

The session will discuss a gazette notification by the Central government that specified the role of L-G Najeeb Jung. Relations between Jung and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have hit rock bottom over a series of contentious bureaucratic transfers and postings.

The NDA government threw its weight behind Jung on Friday, saying he was well within his powers to make the senior appointments.

As the no-holds-barred turf war between the Capital’s two most powerful men intensified, the Union Home Ministry issued the gazette notification saying services, public order, police and land fell under the Lieutenant Governor, who may consult with the Chief Minister on services using his discretion.

On Friday, Kejriwal accused the Centre of trying to run the Delhi government by proxy, saying it had stabbed the people of the city in the back with the notification.

The CM’s remarks reflected Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s allegation earlier that the AAP government has been under attack because “it had stopped the practice of taking money to assign lucrative posts to bureaucrats”.

Earlier, Kejriwal had claimed that an elected government cannot be saddled with bureaucrats against its choice, a stand that has been backed by other heads of state governments.