'Choosy' Kejriwal draws Congress' ire over Maliwal appointment

Amid the ongoing row over Swati Maliwal's appointment as the DCW chief, the Congress Party on Wednesday asked why Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal did not send the file to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung for his approval, as had been the practice during the Sheila Dikshit-led regime.

"The question arises that when in the past all these appointments were carried out through the Lieutenant Governor, including the time 1998-2004, when Delhi was ruled by the Congress Government.there were never any problems.in this case, why didn't the Chief Minister (Arvind Kejriwal) send the file to the Lieutenant Governor," Maken told ANI.

Maken also said that Kejriwal can't be so choosy about which file to send to the Lieutenant Governor and which not.

"I think the Delhi Government and the Chief Minister should understand the most important thing, that is, Delhi is a Union Territory. We have laid down constitutional norms, transaction of business norms and we also have the judgments of High Court and Supreme Court which have said that all the appointments have to be carried out through the Lieutenant Governor," he added.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has cancelled Maliwal's appointment as the DCW chief.

Maliwal, who is an RTI activist and also the youngest member of India Against Corruption, took charge as the DCW chief on Monday succeeding Barkha Shukla.

Kejriwal drew sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well for appointing Maliwal, who is the wife of AAP leader Naveen Jaihind.