Files being sent to LG for opinion, approval without CM Kejriwal’s signature, say LG office sources

India

pti-PTI

New
Delhi,
Aug
23:
Delhi
Lieutenant
Governor
V
K
Saxena
has
sent
a
note
to
Chief
Minister
Arvind
Kejriwal
flagging
that
files
without
the
latter’s
signature
were
being
sent
by
the
CMO
for
his
opinion
and
approval,
LG
office
sources
said
Tuesday.

The
claim
was
made
amid
a
tussle
between
the
Aam
Aadmi
Party
(AAP)
government
and
the
office
of
the
LG
over
various
issues.
The
CBI
probe
recommended
by
Saxena
into
the
Kejriwal
government’s
Excise
Policy
has
already
become
a
flashpoint
between
the
AAP
and
BJP.

In
the
note,
Saxena
has
asked
that
the
files
sent
to
him
by
the
CMO
seeking
his
opinion
or
approval
are
duly
signed
by
Chief
Minister
Kejriwal,
sources
said.

No
immediate
reaction
was
available
from
the
Delhi
government.

“In
the
recent
months,
a
significant
number
of
proposals,
as
a
matter
of
routine,
has
been
submitted
by
the
CMO
for
the
LG’s
approval
or
opinion
through
joint
secretary
or
additional
secretary,
with
the
remarks
‘Hon’ble
CM
has
seen
and
approved
the
proposal’ without
specifying
any
grounds
of
urgency
warranting
such
a
communication,”
the
note
said
according
to
LG
office
sources.

The
files
being
sent
to
the
LG
office
without
the
signature
of
the
chief
minister
were
related
to
the
administration
and
governance
of
the
city
as
well
as
“extremely
sensitive” matters,
they
said.

The
LG’s
note
cited
a
provision
of
the
Manual
of
Office
Procedure,
2022,
that
provided
that
in
rare
and
urgent
cases
when
a
minister
is
sick
or
travelling,
his/her
approval
can
be
taken
telephonically
and
communicated
by
his
private
secretary
in
writing.

However,
the
minister
will
confirm
it
after
he
returns.

“The
current
practice
of
submission
of
files
on
a
routine
basis
under
the
signatures
of
your
(CM)
officials
needs
to
be
avoided
as
in
the
absence
of
your
signature,
it
is
not
clear
whether
the
proposal
has
been
seen
and
approved
by
you
or
not,” said
the
note
according
to
the
sources.

The
handling
or
receipt
of
files
by
the
joint
or
additional
secretary
at
CMO
constrains
the
LG
office
to
communicate
the
Lt
Governor’s
decision
to
those
officials.

“In
the
interest
of
smooth
and
effective
governance,
it
may
be
ensured
that
proposals,
which
are
submitted
by
your
office
for
my
opinion
or
approval
should
be
duly
signed
by
your
good
self,”
the
note
stated.

The
LG
office
sources
said
that
in
the
past,
files
were
duly
signed
by
chief
ministers.
The
LG
also
recommended
that
the
CMO
may
consider
introducing
the
e-office
system
at
the
earliest
to
enable
seamless
movement
of
files.

Since
assuming
office,
LG
Saxena
has
alleged
various
discrepancies
in
the
functioning
of
the
government.
The
AAP
in
turn
has
accused
Saxena
of
working
on
the
directions
of
the
BJP-led
Central
government
to
derail
its
development
works.

Deputy
Chief
Minister
Manish
Sisodia
who
has
been
booked
by
the
CBI
in
a
case
registered
by
the
agency
in
its
probe
of
Excise
policy
“irregularities”,
had
charged
last
week
that
the
LG,
CBI
and
the
Chief
Secretary
were
hand
in
glove
and
were
working
to
stop
Kejriwal
in
his
tracks.

The
AAP
has
been
projecting
Kejriwal
as
an
alternative
to
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
in
the
2024
Lok
Sabha
polls.