Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleges that his mega tussle over the appointment of top bureaucrats with the Lieutenant Governor, who represents the Centre in Delhi, displays the Modi government’s disregard for the federal structure.
AAP sources said Mr Kejriwal is talking to several non-BJP chief ministers to win their support in cornering the Modi government in Parliament on this. Regional power houses like Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, Nitish Kumar in Bihar and Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh, have pledged their support, claimed sources in AAP, which has only four MPs in the Lok Sabha.
While there is no confirmation yet from these leaders or their parties on this, Ms Banerjee had tweeted a few days ago, “Too much interference in the federal structure is unacceptable. The state government is an elected body.” Mr Kejriwal had retweeted Ms Banerjee’s tweets amid reports that they talked on telephone.
Nitish Kumar has in the past supported Mr Kejriwal in his pitched battles with common rival, the BJP. In March he met Mr Kejriwal to congratulate him on his spectacular victory in Delhi, where AAP won 67 of 70 seats, leaving the BJP to mop up the remaining three.
AAP sources said they also hope to win support from the Congress.
Though the Congress has criticised both AAP and the BJP for creating “a constitutional crisis in Delhi,” its Ajay Maken said last week that appointments must be made in consultation with the chief minister.
At the centre of the battle for Delhi is Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung’s assertion that he alone can decide on the postings of top bureaucrats, a stand endorsed through a notification by the Centre. Mr Kejriwal alleges that the BJP, after losing the elections, wants to govern Delhi by proxy through the Lieutenant Governor.
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