AAP government directs officers to expedite projects, Yechury hits out at BJP
New Delhi, July 4: Within hours of the apex court ruling that Delhi's Lt Governor was constitutionally bound by the "aid and advice" of the elected government, the Delhi government on Wednesday directed officials to expedite projects like installation of CCTV cameras and doorstep delivery of ration.
"The cabinet has directed all the officers to work as per the Supreme Court's orders and expedite the work of CCTV camera installation and doorstep ration delivery, which was earlier obstructed by the Lt. Governor," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told the reporters here.
He said that with this decision, the elected government "only needs to inform the Lt. Governor Anil Baijal and not get approval over every other project of Delhi".
Sisodia also expressed his contentment over the fact that the power which was taken from the Delhi government two years ago are now being restored and now the Delhi Government and not the LG has the power to transfer or post IAS and other officers.
"Two years back as per a High Court decision, the power to transfer and post officers was taken away from the elected government of Delhi and was reposed with the LG and other officials," he said.
"Being the Minister of Services, I have now ordered that this system be changed with immediate effect and be given back to the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister," he told reporters here.
Meanwhile, Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, in his reaction to the ruling, accused the BJP of "destroying our federal structure" by misusing the role of LGs and Governors.
"The role of LGs and Governors and their misuse has been brought into sharp focus by today's judgement. BJP's charade of cooperative federalism and in reality destroying our federal structure is condemnable. LGs/Governors cannot usurp rights of an elected state government," Yechury tweeted.
A Supreme Court Constitution Bench on Wednesday ruled in favour of the Arvind Kejriwal government saying the real powers of governance in Delhi rest with the elected representatives.
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Bengal: CEC Gyanesh Kumar faces 'go back' slogans, shown black flags outside Dakshineswar temple
Kolkata (PTI): Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar faced protests with a group of people raising 'go back' slogans and showing black flags to him during his visit to Dakshineswar Kali Temple near here on Tuesday morning.
A similar protest over alleged arbitrary deletions in the post-SIR electoral rolls in the state was held outside the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport upon his arrival in Kolkata on Sunday night.
He had faced the 'go back' slogans and was shown black flags on Monday morning when he visited the Kalighat Temple in the southern part of the city.
Despite the protests outside the Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Kumar continued with his scheduled programmes in the state.
The CEC also visited Belur Math in Howrah district this morning, and said the poll panel is committed to violence-free elections in West Bengal.
He said the commission will make efforts to ensure that voters can exercise their franchise in a festive environment.
“The EC would like to ensure that polls will be violence-free or intimidation-free,” Kumar said while speaking to reporters during his visit to Belur Math.
The CEC is on a visit to the state to review poll preparedness and held meetings with political parties and officials on Monday ahead of the assembly elections.
During the meetings on Monday, Kumar warned that any lapse in maintaining law and order ahead of the elections would not be tolerated and stressed the need for strict monitoring to ensure free and fair polls.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had accused Kumar of threatening state officials during a meeting with the administration on Monday, and warned that "false bravado" by constitutional authorities was not acceptable, stepping up the confrontation between the state government and the poll panel over the voter deletions in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
According to official data released on February 28, 63.66 lakh names, around 8.3 per cent of the electorate, have been deleted since the SIR process began in November last year, reducing the voter base from about 7.66 crore to just over 7.04 crore.
In addition, over 60.06 lakh electors have been placed under the "under adjudication" category, meaning their eligibility will be determined through legal scrutiny in the coming weeks, a process that could further reshape constituency-level electoral equations.
