A 1992-batch IP&TAFS officer and member-secretary (Finance) of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), Joshi was given the additional charge as member-secretary, DDC, on March 3. (Source: Express Photo by PRAVEEN KHANNA) A 1992-batch IP&TAFS officer and member-secretary (Finance) of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), Joshi was given the additional charge as member-secretary, DDC, on March 3. (Source: Express Photo by PRAVEEN KHANNA)

Within a month of his appointment as member-secretary of the Delhi Dialogue Commission (DDC), bureaucrat Ashish Joshi relinquished the charge on Monday.

While sources told Newsline that Joshi was “asked to quit the post over a phone call on Sunday evening,” DDC vice-chairperson Ashish Khetan said, “As of today he does not hold the charge anymore.”

Sources claimed that Khetan asked Joshi to quit after he allegedly refused to appoint six AAP volunteers as coordinators of different task forces set up under the DDC. While Joshi declined to comment on his exit from the DDC, Khetan rubbished the claims.

When asked about the reason behind Joshi’s sudden exit, Khetan said, “I don’t have to tell you that,” adding that a “new member-secretary will be appointed soon”.

Joshi has not tendered any letter resigning from the DDC post yet.

A 1992-batch Indian Post & Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS) officer and member-secretary (Finance) of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), Joshi was given the additional charge as member-secretary, DDC, on March 3.

However, sources in the know of the issue said, “He (Joshi) was instructed to issue orders for the appointment of six AAP volunteers as coordinators of different task forces. However, he said that a number of people had applied for honorary posts in the commission and the appointments of the concerned volunteers were not according to the guidelines and procedures laid down in the DDC. He (Joshi) said he cannot make appointments based on telephonic recommendations.”

A week earlier, sources told Newsline that Joshi felt “humiliated” when three AAP volunteers allegedly barged into his office in Chanakyapuri and had a verbal spat with him.

“When he asked the volunteers who they were, they, in turn, asked him who he was and told him that he should ask a certain AAP leader who they were,” a source said.

Khetan said Joshi had not brought any such instance to his notice. Sources, however, claimed that Joshi had sought an appointment with chief secretary K K Sharma to inform him about the incident. Sharma, however, said he had not received any formal complaint from Joshi either verbally or in writing.

The Cabinet had approved the setting up of the DDC on February 27. The DDC had decided to set up 21 new task forces to take the government’s “new vision for governance” forward.

The commission’s mandate is to advise the Delhi government on various policies and outline short-term, medium and long-term plans for the government.

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