Delhi's bureaucracy has started feeling the heat of the power struggle between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung.

Caught in the crossfire of the two power centres, at least 20 senior officers are lobbying to get out of Delhi administration.

As the conflict between the L-G and the chief minister intensifies with each passing day, bureaucrats of all ranks are facing a tough time in the discharge of their assigned duties.

As the tug of war between the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government and L-G Najeeb Jung continues, governance has taken a back seat

A number of senior IAS officers are seeking central deputation or assignments in other states.

These include 14 officers who have faced the wrath of Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government in the three months of its rule.

“The political leadership is being harsh on the bureaucracy and lowering the morale of officers,” a senior officer told Mail Today.

The Kejriwal-Jung tussle has scared the officers to the extent that even those currently posted outside the Capital are reluctant to join the Delhi Government, which was otherwise a preferred choice for most officers.

“Such political conflicts affect the morale of officers. Never has the city witnessed such bitter dispute between the Delhi government and Raj Niwas,” a senior IAS officer posted outside Delhi said.

Another senior IAS officer Amitabh Kant, currently the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) secretary, tweeted from his personal handle: “Thank God I am not posted with Delhi government. Imagine the plight of officers. Rooms getting locked without notice. Will lead to collapse of morale.”

While it’s clearly a case of humiliation for senior officers, the younger ones too are getting demoralised.

“This will have a direct bearing on governance in Delhi as the officers will hesitate in taking decisions,” said an IAS officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he feared reprisals if he stayed back in the Capital.

“Several officers have been seeking a transfer out of Delhi,” he added.

In a new twist to the tussle between the Delhi government and Jung, Kejriwal has directed his ministers not to follow any order coming from the L-G’s office.

Also, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said that the Lt Governor’s direction cannot be complied with as it was against the provisions of law and Constitution.

In a letter to the Delhi Lt Governor, Sisodia also said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would write a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.

“Your (L-G’s) directions are against the provisions of law and Constitution and therefore cannot be complied with. However, Chief Minister is also writing a letter to PM separately in this regard,” the Deputy CM wrote in his letter.

As the tug of war continues, governance in Delhi has taken a back seat. The bureaucratic heads of almost all major departments, including those related to revenue departments, have been targeted by the government in the recent past.

These include Chief Secretary K.K. Sharma, Principal Secretary (Home) Dharampal, VAT Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar, and Excise Commissioner Neeraj Semwal.

Acting Chief Secretary Shakuntala Gamlin has also been openly targeted by the government, and a question mark has been put on the integrity of some officers.

A Delhi government officer said no concrete work had been undertaken during the three-month rule of AAP in Delhi.

“Major infrastructure projects are progressing at a slow pace. Major policy decisions pertaining to revenue are awaiting the government’s clearance. This will affect the financial health of the government as it will slow down infrastructural growth,” officials pointed out.

Government sources said some senior IAS officers like Parimal Rai, S.P. Singh, Sandeep Gulati, A.K. Gupta, O.P. Mishra, Anindo Majumdar and Ashutosh Kumar have been put on compulsory wait and not given postings.

Earlier, 1984-batch officer Arvind Ray was removed as Principal Secretary (Home) by Kejriwal as the chief minister did not like his style of functioning.

Kejriwal also issued a circular and asked officers to apply for the posts of VAT and Excise Commissioners, with a blueprint to increase revenue collection. The move was seen as an attempt to create a divide between the serving officers and the aspirants as also questioning the efficacy of the incumbent commissioners.

Similarly, Ashish Joshi was unceremoniously moved out of the Delhi Dialogue Commission, while the image of Parimal Rai was also dented in the entire episode regarding the appointment of the Acting Chief Secretary in Delhi.

The government, on the other hand, sought to justify its actions against the officers. A Delhi Government spokesperson said it was the prerogative of the government to assign work to bureaucrats.

“The transfer and posting of IAS officers in UT cadre is done by the Home Ministry but it is the prerogative of the council of ministers to assign work to Delhi Government officers,” he maintained.

AAP government's war with L-G turns ugly

Principal Secretary Anindo Majumdar was locked out of his office on the Chief Minister's orders

The war between AAP government and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung took an ugly turn on Monday when the government defiantly told Jung that his ‘unconstitutional’ orders regarding appointment of key bureaucrats will not be complied with.

In a letter to Jung, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will apprise Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the whole issue.

Significantly, Kejriwal is also meeting President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday evening on the controversy surrounding appointment of acting chief secretary Shakuntala Gamlin.

“Your directions are against the provisions of law and the Constitution and, therefore, cannot be complied. The Chief Minister is writing a letter to the Prime Minister on the issue,” Sisodia said in the letter.

The letter came in response to the L-G rejecting the appointment of Rajendra Kumar as Principal Secretary of Services Department in place of Anindo Majumdar.

Immediately after Kumar was appointed by Kejriwal, Jung shot off a letter to the chief minister, declaring his posting void and categorically made it clear that he was the final authority for appointment and transfer of senior bureaucrats.

As the letter found way to the media, Sisodia tweeted: “Strange that a Constitutional Authority leaking letters addressed to Dy CM before it is received. Is it allowed under Constitution of India?”

Meanwhile, Kejriwal’s office said he will meet Mukherjee on Tuesday around 6pm, during which he will take up issues like appointments of bureaucrats and other unilateral actions by the Lt Governor.

Earlier, drama unfolded at the Players Building on Monday morning when Majumdar found his office locked.

Sources in the government said the instruction to lock the office came from the Chief Minister’s Office.

Meanwhile, acting Chief Secretary Gamlin met Union Home Secretary L.C. Goyal in the afternoon.

Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi and Joint Secretary (Union Territory) in the Home Ministry Rakesh Singh were also present during the meeting.

Controversies refuse to leave AAP government alone

Controversy, thy name is Aam Aadmi Party. There seems to be to no end to the troubles being faced by the party, which came to power in Delhi government only a few months ago.

The turf war between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has been going on for a long time now.

Much before the current fighting over the appointment of the acting Chief Secretary, there was the order by Kejriwal to send all policy files to him and not bother the office of L-G. In a scathing reply, Jung had instructed officials not to follow the CM’s order.

The government has been hit by other controversies including the alleged fake degrees of Law Minister Jitendra Tomar and the suicide of a Rajasthan farmer at an AAP rally in presence of the CM.

Even after winning the election with a brute majority, the party was not able to manage its own house with dissenting leaders raising questions over Kejriwal’s dictatorial style.

After an ugly public spat dissenting leaders Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and two others were shown the door in April. This is not the first time that AAP government is in confrontation with the L-G.

During its first stint, it had tabled the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Assembly without getting Jung’s approval. Both Congress and BJP had slammed AAP over the issue and termed its move unconstitutional. After failing to pass the bill, Kejriwal had resigned as the CM in February 2014.

Referring to the locking of the office of Principal Secretary (Services) Anindo Majumdar, who had issued an order notifying the appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as acting chief secretary following instructions from Jung, BJP leader Vijender Gupta said: “It is a totally disgraceful act by the chief minister. I think Mr Kejriwal is frustrated a lot and he is incompetent to run a government so he has locked the room of a senior official and without any reason.”