Delhi politics
Hope you let go of the baggage of politics in New Year: Atishi hits back at VK Saxena over his remarks against Kejriwal
New Delhi/IBNS: The New Year greeting by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to Atishi, embedded with criticism for her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal, was met with a sharp response from the Chief Minister.
She expressed hope that in the New Year, Saxena would "let go of the baggage of politics" and work towards the welfare of the people of Delhi.
In her letter raising 10-point "concerns," she slammed Saxena for his "criticism rather than constructive cooperation", "unnecessary interventions that slowed down critical work" and actions taken to stop the Mahila Samman Yojana while accusing his office of becoming a "proxy of the BJP".
She alleged that Saxena has failed to keep the city safe, "the one job that you are directly responsible for and mandated to do".
"While an ex-Member of Parliament has been busy distributing money to lure voters right under your nose from his illegally occupied bungalow, your response of giving him police protection to conduct this illegal activity will go down in history as a benchmark of irresponsible and illegal behaviour," her letter read.
"While kids and women are being kidnapped and assaulted on a daily basis in Delhi, you have been occupied by pointless mudslinging and issuing instructions to the police to conduct raids and inquiries on our leaders on a daily basis," she added.
"Your actions have irreparably damaged the respect that people held for the office of the Lieutenant Governor and have tarnished the legacy left behind by your predecessors," added the Chief Minister.
What did VK Saxena say?
Atishi's response came after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena expressed concern over AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal calling Atishi a "temporary chief minister" and said he was "hurt" by the same.
In a letter to CM Atishi, Saxena said: "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."
The LG Governor said it was insulting to both the President of India who appointed Atishi and himself as he administered the oath to her.
"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 said.
"There is no such post in the Constitution and it is a reprehensible neglect to the concept of democracy in the Constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar."
"Everyone knows in what circumstances you were appointed," he wrote.
The Lieutenant Governor, who said he was writing in a personal capacity, has praised Atishi, commending her efficiency and initiative.
"This is the first time in my two-and-a-half-year tenure that I am seeing a Chief Minister discharge the duties of a Chief Minister. Your predecessor did not handle a single government department and never signed a file. In contrast, you are handling many departments and trying to tackle many governance issues," he wrote.
The war of words gained more mileage especially with Delhi going to Assembly polls in February next year.
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