Days after an unprecedented crisis gripped the Delhi government following the alleged assault on the Chief Secretary (CS) Anshu Prakash by two ruling AAP MLAs during a late-night meeting at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on 19 February, the CS along with some other senior state bureaucrats attended the meeting of Kejriwal’s Council of Ministers here on Tuesday.
Days after an unprecedented crisis gripped the Delhi government following the alleged assault on the Chief Secretary (CS) Anshu Prakash by two ruling AAP MLAs during a late-night meeting at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on 19 February, the CS along with some other senior state bureaucrats attended the meeting of Kejriwal’s Council of Ministers here on Tuesday.
This was the first official meeting ~ held to finalise dates for the Delhi Assembly’s Budget Session ~ in which the CS or any other state officer attended since the 19 February incident.
However, the Joint Forum of Delhi Government Employees ~ which comprises of IAS, DANICS and Delhi Administration Subordinate Service (DASS) officials ~ said that today’s (Tuesday) budgetary meeting was an “exception in public interest” and that in other official matters they would continue to communicate with the Ministers only through written means till Chief Minister Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tender a “written public apology” for the alleged attack on the CS, the state’s top bureaucrat.
Following the 19 February night incident, the Delhi government officials had decided to boycott meetings with the CM and his Ministers till Kejriwal apologises over it and proper action is taken against the accused.
Hours before today’s (Tuesday) meeting of the Kejriwal’s Cabinet, Anshu Prakash wrote a letter to Kejriwal, stating that he along with other officers concerned will be attending this meeting on their assumption that the CM will ensure “no physical attack and verbal assault” on the officers.
“A meeting of the Council of Ministers has been scheduled on Tuesday to discuss important matters of finalisation of dates for the Budget Session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly.Since finalising the dates of the Budget Session and passing of the Budget are important for the functioning of government, I along with officers concerned, will be attending the meeting,” the CS told the CM.