What is the issue?
- The power tussle between the Delhi CM and the Lieutenant Governor (LG) has reached a tense spot.
- The episode has shown all concerned players (AAP, BJP and INC) in bad light as they’ve all approaching the issue in a politicised context.
How did the crisis evolve?
- Constitutional Position - National Capital Territory (NCR) of Delhi is kept as a union territory due its strategic significance and logistical convenience.
- As it is not a full state, the constitutional ambiguities in power distribution between the elected ‘CM of Delhi’ and Lt. Governor, is causing trouble
- Notably, since AAP came to power in Delhi, the demand for full statehood for Delhi (with police and other powers), has become strident.
- AAP government has also had a confrontationist history with the Centre, mainly due to Lt. Governor’s interventionism into administration.
- Bureaucratic Control - The tussle intensified when the LG declared that it was his discretionary power to even appoint the Chief Secretary of Delhi.
- As bureaucracy is effectively in the Union Government’s control, the confrontations have resulted in officials becoming uncooperative to the CM.
- It is said to have reached to a point where officials started skipping official meetings and even stopped attending the phone calls of ministers.
What is the political context of the crisis?
- The immediate provocation for CM Kejriwal to start a dharna at the residence of the Lt. Governor is his government’s run-in with the bureaucracy.
- Delhi CM’s unease with his own government machinery is primarily due to the excessively intrusive actions of the Lt. Governor (LG).
- The actions of the Lt. Governor (a central government appointee) is suspected to be guided by the political hawks of the ruling BJP.
- Significantly, the Delhi government of AAP is sitting on a brute majority (67/70), and the BJP scored a mere 3/70 in the previous elections.
- There is hence a perception that the BJP hasn’t come to terms yet with the massive defeat and his acting with a personal vengeance against Mr. Kejriwal.
- While Kejriwal could’ve approached the issue through a lesser corrosive legal and administrative channel, he seems to have choose a street protests.
- This method might further his political position, but resolving the crisis that is hindering the fulfilment of the constitutional mandate of the CM is unlikely.
- In this context, the Congress Party hasn’t even voiced its stand convincingly despite BJP being its arch-rival, due to its intense dislike for AAP.
How does the future look?
- The protests might end soon due to lack of sustainability.
- But the underlying causes of the present crisis will not disappear unless the power distribution between the LG and CM becomes clear.
- The Union government needs to get more accommodative of the Delhi government’s concerns for the betterment of the people of Delhi.
- On its part, Delhi government too needs to give up its confrontationist approach and start displaying more administrative prudence.
- It is also important for the AAP government to realise that it should learn to make the best of the system available before demanding more autonomy.
Source: The Hindu, Indian Express
