L-G Saxena writes to CM, stresses on propriety, constitutional boundaries
In a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday, Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V K Saxena emphasised the importance of propriety, constitutional boundaries and desisting from intemperate language, and said the chief minister did not address core issues related to a proposed water bill settlement scheme.
On Wednesday, Saxena and Kejriwal hit out at one another through “open letters” penned by them over the issue, with the chief minister accusing the LG of stalling the scheme.
Saxena could have taken the path of acting against the erring officers or calling the chief minister for a discussion on such an important issue raised by him, instead he chose to ignore the wrongdoings of the officers and resorted to accusing Kejriwal and the city government in “crude language” that even political opponents rarely use, the Delhi government said in response to the L-G’s fresh letter.
Replying to Kejriwal’s open letter on Wednesday to him, the L-G quoted utterances of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders against him and cited the chief minister’s attack on him in the Assembly on Thursday.
“What pains me more and leaves me perplexed is that in your verbose communication, you have chosen to completely sidestep the substantive issue on the so-called ‘water scheme’, which I had raised with you. The seven-page reply that you have written to me does not address even a single substantive issue raised by me in my letter,” Saxena said. He reminded Kejriwal about his previous letters, saying he has always underlined the importance of propriety, constitutional boundaries, desisting from intemperate language and adhering to dignity.
“Since day one, I urged you to work together for the benefit of the people of Delhi rather than indulging in petty politicking. Having said that, I would like to say that I am pained that you were pained,” he said.
Kejriwal, in his reply to the L-G’s open letter on Wednesday, had said he was pained by its content.
The L-G asserted that he stood by his observation that not a single piece of paper pertaining to the “supposed water scheme” has been submitted to him by the city government, even as the chief minister, in his letter, has “summarily blamed” him for stalling it.
