AAP has been accusing the BJP of using Jung to discredit an elected government. AAP has been accusing the BJP of using Jung to discredit an elected government.

Contrary to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's claim that the ongoing tussle between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung hasn't affected the day-to-day administration, dozens of officials have applied for leave to wriggle out of the slugfest.

At least 45 officers, including IAS and DANICS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Services), have submitted leave applications, sources said. Of these, six officers have already proceeded on leave while the remaining applications are pending.

During the summer vacations last year, not more than 35 officers were on leave at a time, a senior Delhi government official said. There are nearly 460 IAS and DANICS officers posted in Delhi.

This year's unusually high figure of leave applicants in May is being attributed to the tense atmosphere in the Delhi bureaucracy over the past week. Delhi Chief Secretary KK Sharma, who went on a personal visit to the US on May 14, has reportedly sought extension of leave and is unlikely to resume office anytime soon. Sharma was on leave till May 24.

"The officers have cited various reasons while applying for leave. Some of them have sought permission for study leave, which may extend to a year or more. In the current scenario, it is apparent that the officers are seeking leave to avoid the flagrant situation," an official told Mail Today.

A senior official explained that not more than 5 per cent of the Delhi government's officers - i.e. 22 to 25 officers on an average - are on leave on a normal day. However, the number goes up to 35 per day during the summer vacations.

Applications

While the junior- or middle-rank officers have submitted their leave applications to the principal secretaries of the departments concerned, senior IAS officers of the ranks of additional secretary, joint secretary and principal secretaries have applied to senior authorities for leave. Some of the applications for longer leaves have also reached the office of the Lieutenant Governor, sources added.

Top sources said several bureaucrats have already expressed their desire to move out of Delhi government and sought Central deputation. MailL Today was the first to report the reluctance of officers to continue working in Delhi to avoid taking sides between the power centres.

But a government spokesperson clarified: "Opting for transfer and seeking leave are routine affairs in bureaucracy. There is no panic. In any case, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia would meet all bureaucrats on Wednesday to clear any misgivings."

Accusations

The BJP, which heads the NDA government at the Centre, badly lost the February 7 Delhi Assembly elections to AAP. But since the L-G reports to the Union Home Ministry, AAP has been accusing the BJP of using Jung to discredit an elected government. Jung, on the other hand, has been justifying his decisions, citing the rulebook and constitutional provisions that give him the upper hand in certain cases.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government remained defiant on Tuesday and, bypassing Jung, appointed senior bureaucrat Arvind Ray as the Principal Secretary of general administration department. Significantly, the order to appoint Ray was issued by Rajendra Kumar in his capacity as Principal Secretary (Services) though his appointment by the AAP government was declared void on Monday by Jung.

Sources said that the stand-off between the Lt Governor and the AAP government over the appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as the Acting Chief Secretary has had a negative effect on the Delhi government's bureaucracy.

The confrontation over Gamlin's appointment had last week turned into a full-blown war between the ruling party and the Lieutenant Governor, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleging that Jung was trying to take over the administration from an elected government.