New Delhi : The AAP on Tuesday accused the Centre of “undermining the parliamentary system” by meddling in the affairs of the national capital while the BJP and the Congress advised the “inexperienced” party to change its “confrontational attitude”.
Debating at a panel discussion here the ongoing tussle between the Delhi government and the Centre over jurisdiction issues, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Ashutosh said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government was unnecessarily meddling in the affairs of Delhi.
“Both the governments (central and Delhi) are elected and we too have the right to take our own decisions. The Centre has no business directing us what to do. Does an elected chief minister have the right to select his own officers or not? This should be debated,” Ashutosh said.
“This government is undermining the parliamentary system as well as the country’s independent institutions.”
A turf war between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung over control of key bureaucratic appointments was sparked by the appointment of senior bureaucrat Shakuntala Gamlin as acting chief secretary by the latter.
The central government further aggravated the matter when in a notification last week it asserted that the lt. governor will have the last word in deciding transfers and postings of bureaucrats in Delhi.
While rebuffing the allegations, the BJP asked the AAP to “act maturely” and stop the “politics of conflict and confrontation”.
“This is a party that was born out of a movement. But now they should realise that they are in politics and must change their attitude of confrontations and conflicts. They need experience and should learn to work along with others,” BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said.
On the issue of the Centre infringing on the jurisdiction of the Delhi government, Trivedi said the AAP has the option of approaching the courts.
Congress leader Ajay Maken too agreed that the AAP’s response to the appointment of Gamlin showed their inexperience.
He said the whole issue was blown out of proportion by both the parties, which was wrong.
“Dragging a senior officer’s name into an unnecessary controversy demotivates them. This should not have happened,” Maken said.