Want to work with AAP govt but don’t know how ties will be: New L-G Baijal

Former Union home secretary Anil Baijal on Saturday took oath as the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.

Delhi’s new lieutenant governor Anil Baijal said he would work together with the elected government for the betterment of Delhi but sounded cautious on whether the relationship with the Kejriwal government would improve.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal greets Anil Baijal after he was sworn in as the New Lieutenant Governor at Raj Niwas in New Delhi on Saturday. (PTI)

Replying on questions on ties between the AAP government and L-G ‘s office, Baijal said “This is a speculative question and I will not oblige on that. I don’t know why and how the relationship will improve and whether it will improve. We will sit together and talk and you will get to know,” he said after taking oath at Raj Niwas on Saturday morning.

Baijal’s predecessor Najeeb Jung had several run-ins with the Delhi government with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal accusing the L-G of trying to run the city’s administration by proxy. Baijal will have to navigate complicated jurisdictional issues that arise out of Delhi’s unique position as a union territory acting as the national capital.

Read: For Delhi’s sake: 5 key areas for CM Kejriwal and L-G Baijal to work together

He thanked the President and Prime Minister for this opportunity and said that he hoped to work with elected government.

“Delhi is now a huge megapolis now and has many problems- law and order, security, women safety, infrastructure, civic amenities, congestion and pollution. We all know what the problem is and we will work for the solution,” he added.

On full statehood of Delhi, he said the matter is pending with the Supreme Court.

A 1969 batch India Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Union Territories cadre, Baijal was removed as union home secretary when the UPA government assumed power in May, 2004.

After retirement, Baijal was member of the executive council of Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), which had current National Security Advisor Ajit Doval as its founder director.

He was appointed as home secretary in February, 2004 by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government but after surprise victory of the UPA in May, 2004 general election, Baijal was transferred as civil aviation secretary on July 1 the same year.

He superannuated in 2006 as the secretary in the urban development ministry. Interestingly, Delhi’s current chief secretary MM Kutty was one of the joint secretaries in the urban development ministry then. Kutty joined the urban development ministry in June, 2006 and Baijal retired as secretary, urban development in October.

After retirement, Baijal served on the boards of many corporate entities.