Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the Lieutenant Governor once again locked horns on Thursday over delay in the execution of government schemes.
A day after Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tabled a report card in the Delhi Assembly on Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s performance highlighting major delays by him in the approval of government schemes,. the L-G office hit back by refuting point-by-point all shortcomings that were mentioned in “L-G’s outcome report” prepared by AAP government.
Terming the AAP’s report “incorrect and misleading”, the L-G office in a statement said that during the tenure of the present elected government, “this office has received approximately 10,000 files or proposals seeking the approval of the L-G, including those on reserved subjects , out of which, 97 per cent of the proposals were concurred to without any change.”
The statement said only two proposals ~ grant of ex gratia of Rs 1 crore to ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal and appointment of chairperson of Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC)~ were sent to the President as difference of opinion under the relevant transaction of business rules, while only a few, less than 3 per cent of the total received, were returned to the elected government for seeking clarifications and incorporating suggestions as the proposals suffered from various shortcomings and infirmities.
The statement further said that the delay at the level of the elected government was being wrongly attributed to the L-G office.
Giving the list of some of the proposals which were either returned to the elected government to seek clarifications or to incorporate suggestions, the statement said that most of the time taken had been at the level of elected government and many of the files were pending with them.
The statement said that the decisions could have been taken much faster had the elected government done due diligence and followed rule and procedures.
The statement said there were some proposal of the government, including the Teerth Yatra Scheme, which might have lead to allegations of “favouritism”.
“It may be noted that the scheme of constitutional governance has been in existence in Delhi since 1993 and past governments have shared a harmonious relationship with the office of the Lt Governor.
“However, the present elected (AAP) government has deliberately and persistently chosen to act in contravention of scheme of governance of NCT of Delhi,” the L-G office said in a statement.
Soon after the L-G’s office came with the rebuttals, the AAP government also issued a statement charging that the L-G was trying to mask the reality of the files delayed by his office.
“A press release has stated that the office of the L-G has received more than 10,000 files in the tenure of the current elected government. However, the office of the LG has chosen not to mention that a large majority of the files received in his office belong to transferred subjects like Police, DDA and services,” the statement issued by the AAP government said.