Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Dec 30: In a bid to create a wedge between the Delhi chief minister Atishi and her political mentor and the Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena told Ms Atishi that he was “badly hurt and strongly resented” Mr Kejriwal calling her as “a temporary-makeshift Chief Minister.”
Mr Saxena’s season’s greetings to Ms Atishi has packed in a punch directed at Mr Kejriwal and all through drawing comparisons between her performance during the short tenure she was holding the office and Mr Kejriwal’s period as the chief minister.
In his greetings to her on the occasion of the New Year’s Day, the LG said he was ‘hurt’ that Mr Kejriwal had called Atishi a “temporary Chief Minister.” “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,” he wrote, underscoring that it was an insult to the President of India who appointed her and himself, who administered the oath to her.
“Everyone knows in what circumstances you were appointed,” he wrote. Then listing multiple areas, where he alleged the government has failed, he said while Mr Kejriwal has admitted to his government’s shortcomings, Atishi, as the current Chief Minister, will bear the blame even though no one can do much in the time left in her tenure.
Assembly elections are due in Delhi in February next year.
In his letter to CM Atishi, LG Saxena said, “I found it very objectionable and hurt when a few days ago, your predecessor Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal publicly declared you as a temporary-makeshift Chief Minister in the media.” He further said that by such words, he has insulted President of India who appointed her and himself, who administered the oath to her.
“This was not only an insult to you, but also an insult to your employer Her Excellency the President of India and to me as her representative. The public interpretation of temporary or makeshift Chief Minister given by Kejriwal has no constitutional provision and it is also a reprehensible disregard of the democratic spirit and values enshrined in the Constitution drafted by Baba Saheb Ambedkar,” he said in his letter,” he added.
The Lieutenant Governor – who said he was writing in a personal capacity — however, had opened his letter to Ms Atishi with much praise for her work as Chief Minister and taking charge of the department unlike her predecessor, who doesn’t held a single department of the government and neither did he sign files.
“On the occasion of swearing in you as the Chief Minister, I had also congratulated you wholeheartedly and wished you and in the period from then till now, for the first time in my two and a half years of tenure, I saw a person holding the post of Chief Minister doing the work of the Chief Minister. Where your predecessor Chief Minister did not have a single department of the government and neither did he sign files, you took charge of many departments and tried to work on various issues of administration,” he said.
Mr Saxena further highlighted several issues concerning previous governance, pointing out warnings issued by Delhi government departments regarding schemes promoted by Kejriwal that were reportedly non-existent.
He also raised the issue of Kejriwal claiming that Atishi would be arrested in a fake case pertaining to the transport department, a charge denied by the department. Saxena voiced his disappointment over the negative portrayal of Atishi, emphasising that such negative narratives could have adverse effects on her role as a full-time Chief Minister.
LG Saxena had earlier offered words of praise for Atishi, calling her “a thousands times better” than her predecessor, with whom Saxena has had several tempestuous run-ins – on legal, administrative, and governance issues – over the past months.
Atishi took oath as the Chief Minister of the NCT in September this year after Kejriwal resigned following his imprisonment in the Delhi liquor policy case. Kejriwal resigned after he walked out of Tihar Jail on bail after five months.
The Chief Minister is yet to respond to the issue. The Lieutenant Governor had showered praise on Ms Atishi earlier also calling her “a thousand times better” than Arvind Kejriwal. Last month, at the seventh convocation ceremony of the Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women, Mr Saxena had said, “I am happy today that Delhi’s CM is a woman, and I can confidently say that she is a thousand times better than her predecessor”.
In August, Mr Saxena had refused to allow Atishi to hoist the said national flag on Independence Day. She was the choice of Mr Kejriwal, then Chief Minister who was in jail in connection with the Delhi liquor scam. Mr Saxena had over-ridden Mr Kejriwal’s choice and had nominated then Delhi Home Minister Kailash Gehlot to hoist the flag during the official government function.
Meanwhile, even as his two earlier poll promises created controversy over “non-existent schemes,” Mr Kejriwal on Monday announced yet another poll sop promising Rs 18,000 per month to priests in temples and granthis of gurudwaras under the ‘Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana’ if the AAP was voted back to power in Delhi.
Mr Kejriwal made the poll promise at a press conference. He was flanked by Ms Atishi and AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj. “Around ₹18,000 will be given per month once our government is formed. This is happening for the first time in India. I hope BJP and Congress will do it in their own States,” said Mr Kejriwal. He added that the registration for the scheme would start from Tuesday.
“I will go to the Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place and register the priests there. Our MLAs, candidates and workers will register priests in all temples and gurdwaras from tomorrow,” he said. “I will request the BJP that, like you tried to stop Mahila Samman Yojana and Sanjeevani Yojana, please don’t try to stop this scheme for priests and granthis.”
The BJP quickly reacted to the announcement questioning why now. Calling it another trick, Shehzad Poonawalla, National Spokesperson, BJP, questioned, “Why are you making the announcements now? You were in power for the last ten years but haven’t paid anything to pujaris or granthis. You spent thousands of crores on waqfs… When someone can damage their own vote bank, then what will they do to those who do not consider vote banks?”
BJP leader Parvesh Sahib Singh posted on X, saying, “I have been saying for years that temple priests and granthis of all gurudwaras should be given salaries. But for the last 10 years, Arvind Kejriwal has been paying salaries to the maulvis and their associates of all the mosques in Delhi. Now as elections come he is remembering priests and glands. This is called a thug.”
Addressing the media on Monday, Kejriwal said priests are the bridge between society and god. He said they have been the protectors of our culture and rituals generation after generations. “They have a big contribution towards society but no party or society gives attention to their needs…This scheme will be called ‘Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana’. Under this scheme, pujaris and granthis will be given monthly ‘sanmman rashi’ (honorarium),” Kejriwal said.
He went on to say that these people are a part of our everyday life, be it a happy occasion or sad. He explained that this amount is not called salary but honorarium. “On being re-elected, our government will give Rs 18,000 per month to Pujari, Granthi. This is the first time such a step is being taken in the country,” he added.
It is important to note that the announcement came as the salary of imams and muazzins were allegedly not being released by the Delhi government. Last week, scores of imams and muazzins associated with the Delhi Waqf Board gathered outside the residence of Kejriwal demanding salaries. They alleged their salaries were pending for the last 17 months.
West Bengal has a similar scheme for poor Hindu priests. Ahead of the last assembly polls, Mamata Banerjee in September 2020 had announced a monthly honorarium of Rs 1,000 for them. In August 2023, she increased the amount by Rs 500 per month.
This is the third big poll promise from Kejriwal after announcing a monthly financial assistant worth Rs 2,100 to each woman in Delhi every month. He has also promised that if he is re-elected, he will provide free medical treatment to all senior citizens in Delhi in both public and private institutions.
