Arvind Kejriwal lashes out at Centre, says MHA notification politically motivated

“From clerk to top officials, Centre wants to appoint all. Its notification giving more powers to the Lt Governor is politically motivated,” he said.

Earlier, unruly scenes were witnessed in the House when AAP MLA Mahendra Goyal slammed the Centre for “trying to take away” legitimate powers of the Delhi government and tore a copy of the May 21 notification issued by the Home Ministry.

Read Also: Notification row: Centre challenges DHC order in SC

Several AAP MLAs spoke during the debate on the resolution and attacked the Centre for issuing the notification. Moving the resolution a day earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia called the notification an “insult” to the “most popular mandate” of the people of Delhi — the AAP has 67 legislators in a 70-member House.

In the notification, the Centre gave absolute powers to the Lt Governor in appointment of bureaucrats while underlining that he need not “consult” the Chief Minister on subjects like police and public order.

The Anti Corruption Branch of the Delhi government was also barred from moving against officers and political functionaries of the Central government. But the Delhi High Court ruled Tuesday that the ACB had the authority to probe Central government officials, including Delhi Police personnel.

Armed with a High Court order over its jurisdiction, the AAP government appointed Wednesday senior IAS officer Anindo Majumdar as the chairman-cum-managing director of the Delhi Finance Corporation, days after he was removed from the post of Principal Secretary of the Services Department.

It also appointed IAS officer Parimal Rai as Principal Secretary of Social Welfare and Women and Child Development Department.

Majumdar was removed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as Principal Secretary of the Services Department on May 16 after he issued a notification appointing senior bureaucrat Shakuntala Gamlin as the acting Chief Secretary following instructions from Lt Governor Najeeb Jung. Kejriwal opposed Gamlin’s appointment and accused her of lobbying for power distribution companies.

That same evening, the Lt Governor declared the order to transfer Majumdar “void” but the AAP government did not allow him to resume duties and appointed Rajendra Kumar as Principal Secretary of the Services Department.

“Anindo Majumdar has been appointed as CMD of DFC while Rai is appointed as Principal Secretary of Social Welfare and W&CD,” an order signed by Rajendra Kumar, Principal Secretary in Services Department, said.