LG Saxena rejects Kejriwal’s request to visit Singapore; CM to now apply to MEA

Responding to the development, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said Kejriwal will seek approval from the ministry of external affairs (MEA) for the same

Delhi lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena on Thursday rejected the AAP government’s proposal for chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Singapore visit to attend a summit on August 1.

Deputy CM said chief minister Kejriwal does not agree with the views of LG. (File image)

The event, meant for mayors, does not befit the attendance of a CM, the LG said.

“Having carefully studied the nature of the forum and the profile of other attendees, as also the subjects being deliberated upon at the conference, the LG has pointed out that the conference will be covering different aspects of urban governance which in the case of Delhi are addressed by diverse civic bodies ranging from New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) apart from the Delhi government. The LG has underlined the fact that the Delhi government does not have exclusive domain over the issues corresponding with the theme of the conference and hence it will be inappropriate for a chief minister to be attending the same,” a senior official from the LG’s office said requesting anonymity.

The LG, according to a second senior official at Raj Niwas, also pointed out that Delhi’s smart city project which could be presented at the World Cities Summit Smart City workshop that is being organised as a part of the conference, is being anchored by the NDMC. “Apart from the above facts, a chief minister attending such a conference will also set bad precedence,” the official said.

Responding to the permission denial in a letter, Kejriwal wrote, “I humbly beg to differ with the advice of the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor”.

“If the visit of each constitutional authority in our country were to be decided on the basis of what subjects fall within the jurisdiction of that authority, it would create a funny situation and practical logjam. Then the Prime Minister would not be able to go anywhere because in most of his visits, he also discusses subjects which which fall in state list and do not fall in his jurisdiction,” the letter added.

Meanwhile, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said Kejriwal will now seek approval from the ministry of external affairs (MEA) for the same.

“While inviting CM Kejriwal, the High Commissioner of Singapore Simon Wong had stated - ‘your insights will enrich our discussion on how we can make our cities more sustainable and liveable’. Kejriwal just wanted to showcase Delhi on a global platform. He wanted to show how a city as big as Delhi managed to improve its health and education system while also offering revolutionary schemes such as free transport for women and free water and power. But the LG, after sitting on the file for 1.5 months has now returned the file advising Kejriwal not to attend the conference stating it is typically for mayors,” Sisodia said.

The deputy chief minister added that Kejriwal does not agree with the views of LG and hence has decided to seek approval from the MEA.

As per the Centre’s rule, requests for such visits have to be first sent to the MEA for political and the home ministry for FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) clearance, after which it is sent to the Cabinet Secretariat for informing about the proposed travel. But, Kejriwal’s office sent the file for his Singapore visit to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena for his approval first.

When asked why the chief minister’s office sent the file to the LG instead of the MEA, Sisodia said, “There is no other way. We have always done it this way.”

A file for Kejriwal’s Singapore visit was sent by the Delhi government to the LG office on June 7. The summit will take place in the first week of August. The High Commissioner of Singapore Simon Wong had in June invited Kejriwal to the World Cities Summit. The Delhi chief minister has been asked to attend a programme on the first day.

In October 2019, chief minister Kejriwal wanted to visit Denmark to address a C-40 World Mayors’ Summit, but his request was turned down by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stating that his visit there as a speaker at a panel discussion did not commensurate with the level of participation from other countries.