New Delhi : Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday that the central government had issued a “clarificatory notification” about the powers of the elected government and the Delhi lt. governor so that there was no dispute between them.
Answering a query at a press conference here about the Friday’s notification by the home ministry, Jaitley said that Delhi was a capital of the country and a union territory and the administrative structure was such that the elected government had a large number of powers while some powers were reserved with the central government.
“The home ministry circular (has been issued) so that there is no dispute. The reserved powers of the central government are exercised through the lt governor. The clarificatory notification is about it so that there is no confusion,” he said.
The AAP government, which took office in February, has been locked in an ugly spat with Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung over the posting and transfer of senior officers, particularly those from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
Taking a veiled dig at the Arvind Kejriwal government which had locked office of a senior officer apparently for following orders of LG for appointing Shakuntala Gamlin as acting chief secretary, Jatiely said: “We do not want that offices are locked due to confusion.”
He said it was responsibility of the central government to issue a clarification so that Delhi government is able to fulfil its responsibilities properly.
The home ministry notification, which was issued May 21, said that the lt governor shall “in respect of matters connected with ‘public order’, `police’, ‘land’ and ‘services’ exercise powers and discharge functions of the central government.