Resolve differences between Centre, state: Kejriwal to Modi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the differences between the city government and the Centre.

In a letter to Modi, Kejriwal said: "I am informed that a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court yesterday (Monday) regarding the differences between the central government and the government of the national capital territory of Delhi. The apex court has also expressed its concern about the state of affairs in Delhi.

"I would urge that we should resolve these differences in the interest of the people of Delhi. I assure you that I shall be more than willing to work an extra mile in this direction."

The public interest litigation (PIL) was dismissed but the apex court made some observations raising concerns with regard to the current state of affairs.

"This is a matter of governance deficit. We understand that there is the central government on the one hand and the government of Delhi on the other. These problems can be sorted at their ends. If any order is bad then we can look into it. If the two governments do not resolve their disputes and create governance problem, then the people will pass appropriate verdict at appropriate time," the letter quoted the Supreme Court as saying.

Kejriwal, in his letter, said: "I, for one, have made all possible efforts to resolve the situation.

"I have personally met all the concerned ministers of the government of India, approached the lt. governor, even yourself and the President of India on a couple of occasions on this issue," he said.

Offering "peace-making", the chief minister said: "I personally do not believe that there is any such issue which can not be resolved by two well-meaning governments in the interests of people of Delhi.

"All that is required is a little open-mindedness and primacy for the welfare of the people of Delhi."

Kejriwal asserted that his government has tried to ensure that the day-to-day lives of the people, and issues of governance do not get affected by the 'centre-state conflict'.

Expressing that there were so many things which happened during the past seven months that had never happened in the past 23 years, Kejriwal pointed out some "aberrations" which led to the standoff between his government and the authority of Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung.

"Never before has the LG, union ministry of home affairs, declared the orders issued by a democratically elected government of Delhi as illegal and null and void. Never before the LG issued direct orders to the officers of the Delhi government which are contradictory to the legal and valid orders of the government," he wrote in the letter.

"In the last six months, several such orders of the Delhi government have been declared null and void by the LG," complained Kejriwal.

He further wrote that the lt. governor had "deprived" the Delhi government of its "primary tool" to combat corruption by "usurping" the Anti Corruption Branch through an executive order.

"I have no doubt that had appropriate cooperation been received from the government of India and the LG, the progress of Delhi during the same period would have been much more," he wrote.