I don't want to enter into any verbal duel with Dikshit: Patil
Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil yesterday refused to respond to indications by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit that he, as Union Home Minister, wanted the Delhi government to delay clearance of the mercy petition file of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil yesterday refused to respond to indications by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit that he, as Union Home Minister, wanted the Delhi government to delay clearance of the mercy petition file of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
When asked to respond to Dikshit's hint, Patil said he did not want to enter into any verbal duel with the Delhi Chief Minister. "I am here to speak on some other subject. I do not want to get into any verbal duel (tu tu mei mei)," Patil said here on the sidelines of a function.
On Sunday, when asked by a TV channel whether Patil had asked her to sit over the file, Dikshit had said "may be what you are thinking is true."
The mercy petition file of Afzal Guru was sent to the Home Ministry by Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna last week after receiving it from Delhi government on May 18.
The city government, whose opinion was sought by the Home Ministry, had been dilly-dallying on the matter for nearly four years and the capital punishment given to Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab in the Mumbai terror attacks case brought the issue under fresh focus. It was after the 16th reminder from the Union Home Ministry seeking its opinion that the city government sent the file to LG's office for him to take a call in the matter.