Kejriwal accuses LG of snooping on him, ministers

In a fresh confrontation, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today accused Lt Governor Najeeb Jung of snooping on him and his cabinet ministers and sending his government's "secret information" to the Prime Minister's Office, a charge rejected by the LG's secretariat.
Kejriwal's attack on Jung came after a letter written by the LG to the Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Nripendra Mishra in February on working of a bureaucrat in the office of Delhi's Home Minister found its way to media.
In the letter, Jung had said that an officer, S K Nagarwal, belonging to Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE), was found working with Delhi's Home Minister while on study leave from the Railways.

The LG, in the letter dated February 26 to Mishra, sought departmental action against Nagarwal saying he was found working with Delhi government on December 29 last year.
Rejecting LG's report, a Delhi government spokesperson said Nagarwal never worked with city administration as he was not released by the Railways.
"Shocking! LG snooping on CM and Ministers. Who visits CM and ministers- LG secretly collecting this info and informing PMO," the Delhi Chief Minister tweeted.

A senior official in the Lt Governor's secretariat termed Kejriwal's allegation as "baseless", saying that it had received a written complaint stating that Nagarwal was working in the Delhi government when he was on study-leave from Railways.

"Services matter is the domain of the LG. On written complaint, Lt Governor had written to Principal Secretary to Prime Minister and brought the breech of service rules to his notice," the official said.
The Delhi government is also furious over a directive by the Union Home Ministry which had asked it to furnish details of all officers on deputation to Delhi administration. The MHA, in its letter dated May 24, even asked the city government to provide details of all consultants appointed by the AAP dispensation.
In reply to the Home Ministry directive, Kejriwal today wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh refusing to provide the details as sought by his ministry.

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In a separate release, the Aam Aadmi Party alleged the LG's act "undermined" the basic functioning of the elected government.
"It is a matter of extreme seriousness that the Lt Governor of Delhi is spying on the ministers of the elected government of the National capital Territory of Delhi.
"Since the letter has been addressed to the PMO, it is clear that under directions from the very top in the central government, the Delhi LG Najeeb Jung is illegally interfering in the functioning of the elected government.
"This letter raises extremely serious questions about the kind of undesirable activities in which the Delhi LG appears to be indulging," the party alleged.

It also posed questions to the Centre and the LG asking them to reveal the source of his information about the presence of any individual in the office of a minister of Delhi government and what was the reason to write to the PMO about who visits the ministers of Delhi government.
"Under whose directions is the LG seeking information about the visitors to ministers of the Delhi government? Why is the LG interested in knowing about the work being done in the offices of ministers?" the party asked.
It also asked whether such instructions were being given to all governors/ LGs across India by the PMO or was it restricted only to Delhi.

"The acts of spying by no less than the Delhi LG on the ministers of the Delhi government is a serious assault on federalism and undermines the basic functioning of the elected government," it added.