Delhi Chief Minister Atishi responded bitterly to national capital Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena’s letter in which he expressed concern over AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal labelling her a “temporary chief minister” and called it a “flagrant disregard for the democratic spirit and values enshrined in the Constitution”.
Atishi slammed the LG, saying instead of doing `dirty politics’, he should focus on the betterment of the national capital. “Kejriwal worked for the welfare of Delhi for nine and a half years. I am running the government on the path shown by him. The people of Delhi have elected Kejriwal to win again and again,” she added.
Moreover, Atishi asserted that as a woman, she was personally hurt by his obstruction in the Mahila Samman Yojana. Earlier, in a letter to the chief minister, Saxena said Kejriwal’s remark was an insult to President Droupadi Murmu, who appointed her, as well as himself as her representative.
“A few days ago, when your predecessor, Arvind Kejriwal, publicly declared you as a temporary or stopgap chief minister in the media, I found this highly objectionable, and I was hurt by it. This was not only an insult to you but also to the president of India, and to me, in my capacity as her representative,” Saxena added.
He further lamented that “the public explanation given by Kejriwal regarding the temporary or stopgap nature of your position has no constitutional provision and is a flagrant disregard for the democratic spirit and values enshrined in the Constitution created by BR Ambedkar.”
Meanwhile, in his letter Saxena praised Atishi for working on addressing various administrative issues after taking charge.”During my two-and-a-half years of tenure, I have witnessed the person occupying the position of chief minister actually performing the duties of the chief minister.”
Saxena alleged that Kejriwal had been making public statements without any basis or facts, claiming that the transport department and other investigative agencies would probe Atishi and send her to jail. “This is not only false but such statements also imply that you are unaware of the activities of the departments working under you”, he said.