Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, VK Saxena, wrote a letter to Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Monday, expressing his objections to remarks made by former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who referred to her as a ‘temporary CM’.
In the letter, Saxena described Kejriwal’s statement as deeply objectionable and personally hurtful. “I found it deeply objectionable and was personally hurt when your predecessor, Shri Arvind Kejriwal, recently declared you in the media as merely a temporary and stopgap Chief Minister,” the Lieutenant Governor wrote.
“It was not only an insult to you, but also to your appointee, the President of India and to me as her representative,” he added.
Saxena further criticised the AAP leader, stating, “The public characterisation of a temporary or stopgap chief minister, as articulated by Shri Kejriwal, has no constitutional basis. It is also a deplorable violation of the democratic spirit and values enshrined in the Constitution authored by Babasaheb Ambedkar.”
The letter also contained praise for Atishi’s approach to governance, contrasting it with the alleged reluctance of her predecessor to take on administrative responsibilities. “For the first time during my tenure, I have seen a Chief Minister actively performing the duties of the office,” Saxena wrote.
He also highlighted several challenges faced by the Delhi government, including pollution in the Yamuna, waste management and deteriorating infrastructure in industrial and slum areas.
He noted that these issues were legacies of the previous administration and stressed that it would be unreasonable to expect Atishi to resolve them within a few months. “It is well known under what circumstances you were made Chief Minister. Whether it be the worsening state of the Yamuna over the past 10 years, the severe shortage of drinking water, the issue of garbage mountains, the lack of basic amenities in industrial areas, the disrepair of roads and sewer lines, the crumbling healthcare system, the dire lack of facilities in unauthorised colonies or the abysmal living conditions in slum areas—everyone understands how impossible it is for a Chief Minister, already declared temporary and stopgap, to address these issues in three to four months,” Saxena said. “As Chief Minister, the responsibility for these failures will now rest on your shoulders.”
The letter also criticised Kejriwal for making unilateral announcements regarding government schemes during public events. Saxena claimed that such “unauthorised announcements” on initiatives for senior citizens and women had undermined the dignity of the Chief Minister’s office and the Cabinet.
Additionally, he condemned Kejriwal’s allegations regarding supposed investigations against Atishi, including claims that she could face jail time. Saxena referred to official communications from the Transport Department and the Vigilance Department, which categorically denied any such investigations, calling Kejriwal’s allegations “baseless and misleading”.
Saxena voiced his concerns about the political discourse in Delhi at the conclusion of the letter. He wished Atishi well in her future ambitions and stated, “I am deeply hurt by the narrative presenting the full-time Chief Minister of my government as a temporary Chief Minister and am concerned about the level of public discourse.”
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