Anshu Prakash, Delhi chief secretary, at the centre of row with Kejriwal’s AAP govt

Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash alleges AAP lawmakers assaulted him during a meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

When Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash took over early in December, the political scene in the city was surcharged with showdowns between his predecessor and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party.

Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash leaves after meeting Lt Governor Anil Baijal. Prakash has alleged AAP MLAs assaulted him. (PTI Photo)

MM Kutty, a 1985-batch IAS officer, had been at loggerheads with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet over various issues before Prakash took over as Delhi government’s top ranking civil servant. Kutty was accused of snubbing Delhi Assembly committees and skipping important state government meetings.

Immediately after the central government appointed Prakash as Delhi chief secretary in December 2017, the AAP government said it was not consulted before the decision.

Prakash--a 1986 batch IAS officer of Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre--was earlier additional secretary and financial advisor in the rural development ministry. Before moving to the Centre, Prakash had held several important responsibilities in the Delhi government. He was the principal secretary (health) and the chairman-cum-managing Director (CMD) of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) in Congress leader Sheila Dikshit’s government.

He had also served as additional secretary in union ministry of health and family welfare.

Two months into the office, Prakash and AAP seem to be heading for a round of confrontation.

On Tuesday, Prakash was allegedly manhandled by two MLAs of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, bureaucrats of the state government said.

Signalling another possible face-off between the AAP and the state’s bureaucracy, a group of IAS officers met Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Tuesday and demanded that an FIR be registered and the culprits be arrested.