Najeeb Jung resigned as the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi on Thursday. The 65-year-old, former Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, said he would be returning to academics.
Jung thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of Delhi for cooperation during one year of President's rule. He also thanked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his association.
Jung, a former Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer from the Madhya Pradesh Cadre, resigned 18 months before the end of his tenure, which has been stormy. He had replaced Tejendra Khanna in July 2013.
Sources close to the LG said that he was thinking of quitting for months. Jung finally held a press conference at Raj Niwas in north Delhi's Civil Lines on Thursday.
"I thank the people of Delhi for all their support and affection, especially during the one year's President Rule in Delhi, when he got unstinted support from them and which in turn helped run the administration in Delhi smoothly and effortlessly," Jung said.
Jung has had a strife-ridden tenure since taking office in July 2013. He was at loggerheads with Kejriwal over the administration of Delhi. While Delhi is a Union Territory, it has its own legislature and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 allows certain powers to the government. However, the Aam Aadmi Party government and Jung failed to find a middle ground over running the state.
Recently, Kejriwal had appealed the Delhi High Court's order reiterating administrative powers in the hands of the Lieutenant Governor in the Supreme Court. The apex court agreed to hear the petition agreeing that an elected government needs powers to run the city.
