Kejriwal invited chief secy for tea at L-G’s behest but babus insist on written apology

Kejriwal on Thursday sent a message to Prakash on WhatsApp asking if he could meet him at 12 noon. But the meeting never took place

About 10 days after he was accused of maintaining silence over the alleged assault on chief secretary Anshu Prakash, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is believed to have personally invited Prakash to discuss the matter over tea, officials privy to the development said.

Chief secretary Anshu Prakash was allegedly assaulted by AAP MLAs on February 19.

Kejriwal on Thursday sent a message to Prakash on WhatsApp asking if he could meet him at 12 noon. But the meeting never took place as the chief secretary sought to reschedule the time and requested if he could bring along a few bureaucrats to explain the situation.

“The CM called Prakash for a cup of tea to which the CS replied he wanted to bring two to three other officers along. After that there was no reply from the CM,” an official who did not wish to be named said.

Since Prakash accused AAP MLAs of assaulting him, ministers Rajendra Pal Gautam and Kailash Gahlot from the Delhi government’s political executive had been making truce attempts.

While calls and messages to Prakash went unanswered, Delhi government spokesperson refused to comment on the matter.

Later, on the same day (Thursday), Prakash received a breach of privilege notice from the Delhi Assembly for not attending the proceedings of one of its committees.

With no compromise in sight from either side, the conflict between the Aam Aadmi Party government and its bureaucracy has entered third week. On Monday, officials across Delhi government offices continued to boycott meetings with ministers and engaged in only written communication. The five-minute silent protest during lunch time also continued with officers demanding a written apology from either Kejriwal or deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.

Kejriwal, at whose residence Prakash was allegedly manhandled, came to the secretariat and chaired a pre-budget meeting. While Prakash did not attend, principal secretary (finance) SN Sahai attended the meeting that was also attended by Sisodia.

Prakash also had to attend the proceedings of the Delhi Assembly’s Question and Reference Committee which he skipped citing medical reasons.

It is to be seen if Prakash attends the Cabinet meeting scheduled on Tuesday. The meeting is crucial as the chief secretary has been asked to submit a note on the progress of launching the scheme of delivering monthly ration at the doorsteps of the beneficiaries.

Last week, Sisodia had alleged that chief secretary and other senior officers are working under the influence of the ration mafia.

“Instructions were given to the chief secretary not to sanction leave of senior officers without consulting the ministers concerned, but he did not inform the ministers. This creates a doubt that everyone is working together and under the influence of the ration ‘wala’ (mafia). There should be an inquiry into this,” Sisodia had said.

(ENDS)