Amidst escalating tensions between the Delhi government and Lieutenant General Najeeb Jung over the appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as the acting Chief Secretary of the NCT, AAP will on Wednesday meet senior officers who are reportedly seeking transfer outside the capital city.
The senior government officials have approached the Home Ministry, seeking postings outside Delhi to avoid getting trapped by the war between Jung and Arvind Kejriwal, according to a Firstpost report.
The report further suggests that the officers in IAS and DANICS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands) teams have sought postings anywhere but under the jurisdiction of the Union Territory cadre, as they are facing difficulty getting along with the Delhi government.
In view of this, AAP decided to clear the air in the meeting, to be held on Wednesday. AAP member and deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia will brief the officials on Rule 4 of the TBR and ask them to follow the Constitution, while delivering their duties.
"We want them (bureaucrats) to follow the Constitution. We want to reiterate the provisions of Article 239 AA of the Constitution, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 and the Transaction of Business of the Government of NCT of Delhi Rules, 1993 (TBR)," a Delhi government official said, Hindustan Times reports.
"Chapter IV and V of the TBR outline the protocol for disposing of business relating to the L-G's executive function and procedures to be followed in case of a difference of opinion between the L-G and ministers. None of the three statues authorise the L-G to issue any order or direction to the chief secretary or any other secretary, bypassing the minister in-charge or the council of ministers," he said.
While Sisodia will brief the officials about the ongoing situation, Home Minister Rajnath Singh will hold talks with President Pranab Mukherjee about the tensions between Jung and the AAP government, NDTV reports.
A day ago, both Jung and Kejriwal held separate meetings with the President to brief him about the ongoing tussle between the two over the appointment of Delhi chief secretary and the transfer of Principal Secretary Anindo Mazumdar.
What led to the turf war between Lt General and the Delhi Government?
The appointment of Gamlin as the acting chief secretary on Jung's order triggered tensions between him and the Aam Aadmi Party, which accused the Lt General of violating constitutional rights by overstepping the government's orders.
The tensions between the two intensified after AAP members, on the orders of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, locked the office of Principal Secretary Anindo Mazumdar, who had issued the appointment letter to Gamlin on the instructions of Jung.
Following this, Kejriwal issued a transfer notice to Mazumdar, but the order was declared void by Jung, who said that his consent was not taken for the same.
Kejriwal also accused Gamlin of attempting to favour power companies and trying to trick the government into signing documents that would have granted ₹11,000 crore to these firms.
His accusations attracted sharp criticism from Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who slammed Kejriwal for the "character assassination" of the IAS officer and insulting the people of Northeast India.
