Kejriwal leads march to LG’s office in street stir

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday led a street march from the Delhi assembly to the office of lieutenant governor (LG)’s VK Saxena, protesting against alleged interference in governance by the Centre-appointed LG over a series of decisions, including not allowing schoolteachers to be sent to Finland for a training programme

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday led a street march from the Delhi assembly to the office of lieutenant governor (LG)’s VK Saxena, protesting against alleged interference in governance by the Centre-appointed LG over a series of decisions, including not allowing schoolteachers to be sent to Finland for a training programme.

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“LG is not our headmaster to check our homework,” Kejriwal said during the march to Raj Niwas, flanked by deputy CM Manish Sisodia, other members of the Aam Aadmi Party cabinet, and MLAs from the ruling party in the Capital.

The event marks a new chapter in the running battle between the elected government and the LG over who has primacy over administration in the Capital.

“We have been forced to take to the streets. Who is LG to stop teachers’ training?” Kejriwal said. “We have been told to do a cost-benefit analysis of teachers’ training in Finland. But when big leaders of the BJP send their children abroad to study, no cost benefit analysis is done... The salaries of doctors in Mohalla clinics have been stopped.”

He added that the larger problem is that the LG is not following a Supreme Court directive on Delhi’s administration.

“On July 4, 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that the LG of Delhi does not have the power to make decisions on his own, yet the LG’s actions suggest that he does not respect the Supreme Court’s ruling. This attitude is detrimental to the principles of democracy and the Constitution. The two crore people of Delhi elected their chief minister and gave him a majority with 62 seats in the assembly, if he is unable to send teachers for training, it calls into question the purpose of such elections and democratic processes,” Kejriwal said, alleging that Saxena was acting on the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The LG’s office did not respond directly to the allegations, but an official said the AAP leaders were unwilling to discuss the matter on Monday despite an invitation from the LG.

“The LG agreed to meet CM and deputy CM, and the DCP of the area conveyed the same to the CM. But he wanted to come with AAP MLAs and refused to come and meet the LG,” the said.

Kejriwal, on his part, said that Saxena should meet all the AAP ministers and lawmakers who were part of the march, and not just the CM and deputy CM Manish Sisodia.

Since Saxena took over in May 2022, the LG-AAP government relationship has been rocked by sustained confrontation over multiple issues including municipal appointments, allegations that officers are working at the behest of the LG, the release of payments of salaries to several government employees, the clearance for free lab tests at Mohalla clinics, apart from disputes over policy ranging from excise to transport.

The confrontation comes at a time when the Delhi government and Centre are in the middle of a legal battle — being heard by a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court — over who should have control over transfers and postings of bureaucrats. The power is currently being exercised by the LG, and the Delhi government contends this is a violation.

In the latest flashpoint, the State Council of Educational Research and Training proposed a five-day training programme in Finland’s Jyväskylä University for 30 primary in-charges of Delhi government schools. On Thursday, Sisodia, who holds the education portfolio, alleged that the LG prohibited Delhi teachers to travel to Finland for the training. Officials at the LG office, however, dismissed the allegation, saying that the Delhi government was advised to evaluate the proposal in totality and assess the effectiveness of such programmes undertaken in the past.

Soon after the protest was over, CM Kejriwal tweeted: “LG saying he never rejected teachers’ Finland training proposal. If that is the case, LG may kindly write me a letter immediately saying that he has no objection to the teachers’ training proposal in Finland and the matter will be over?”

So far, the Delhi government has sent 1,079 teachers to Finland, the UK, and Singapore for training over what period.

On Sunday, Sisodia wrote to the LG asking him to identify officers who “deliberately stopped” funds for mohalla clinics in the months leading to the December MCD elections, alleging that this was done to derail the AAP’s chances in the civic polls held on December 4. The AAP won 134 seats while the BJP got 104 seats in the 250-ward house.

During Monday’s protest, Kejriwal also referred to June 2018 nine-day-long sit-in CM and a group of Delhi government ministers had in the Raj Niwas demanding approval of CCTV cameras project of the AAP government. “In 2018, I had sat on a dharna inside LG office with Manish Sisodia and ministers when the then LG had refused to approve the file on CCTV cameras installation. After 10 days dharna, the LG had to sign the file,” Kejriwal said, urging the LG to approve the foreign training of the teachers.

The Delhi assembly was earlier adjourned amid a ruckus over Saxena’s alleged remark that the “administrator” could do all the work in Delhi irrespective of the Supreme Court’s judgments. Kejriwal on Friday claimed that Saxena made the comment when the two resumed their weekly meetings. Saxena’s office denied the claim as “misleading” and “twisted”.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said Monday’s protests have established again that the Kejriwal government is only interested in creating controversies, and has nothing to do with Delhi’s development.

“Kejriwal government is surrounded by scams and in order to avoid accountability, CM has accused the LG of withholding the file related to the training of government school teachers in Finland. CM should understand that the people of Delhi will no longer be misled and to improve the education system of Delhi, just training of some teachers in Finland is not important, but appointment of headmasters and teachers in all the schools of Delhi is needed. Moreover Science and Commerce courses need to be taught in all schools,” Kapoor said.