Saurabh Bhardwaj targeted LG Vinai Saxena: Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has dissolved the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission with immediate effect. A statement issued by an official of the LG’s office said that the commission will remain temporarily dissolved until a system is developed to select experts having experience in the relevant field as DDCD vice-chairman and members. Apart from this, he has also approved the termination of service of non-official members working in the commission.
He said, “This is always the way appointments are made in commissions and boards in the central government and BJP-ruled states. The chairman of the National SC/ST Commission has just been appointed, who is a BJP leader.”
What did Saurabh Bhardwaj say?
Delhi minister Saurabh Bhardwaj posted on the social media platform ‘X’ and said, “Dissolving DDCD by LG sahab is cheap politics. LG sahab should tell where the centre had issued the advertisement for his appointment. Who took the test and interview of LG sahab that he was appointed.”
Reacting to the LG’s decision, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of Delhi said it would challenge the Lieutenant Governor’s “illegal” decision in court. While Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj accused Saxena of doing “petty politics”.
What does Elle order?
In a comment on the file sent to the Chief Secretary of Delhi, the Lieutenant Governor said, ‘The entire exercise of creating DDCD by the present government is only an attempt to provide financial benefits and protection to certain political persons.’
The LG’s order also said, “Clearly the commission was formed as a think tank for policy making on the lines of Planning Commission and Niti Aayog, whose responsibility of functioning should be of experts having experience in the relevant field as per the provision. So that the government can get the necessary information.”
The aim was not to accommodate favourites, unelected friends or politically biased people. The Lt Governor said that the posts of Vice-Chairman and non-official members will remain with the tenure of the present government.
He said, “Initially these posts were honorary, but later they were converted into posts with high salary and facilities. Like the Vice-Chairman of DDCD was given the same status, salary and facilities as the Minister of Delhi Government and the non-official members were given the same status, salary and facilities as the Secretary of Government of India.” Saxena said that according to the Planning Department of Delhi Government, there is no division of work among the members of DDCD.
In a statement, the AAP government said that the Lieutenant Governor’s decision to dissolve the DDCD and terminate the services of its three non-official members is “illegal”, “unconstitutional” and “a blatant violation of the jurisdiction of his office”. He said in his statement that the DDCD comes under the Chief Minister and only he has the right to take action against its members. The statement alleged that the sole purpose of the Lieutenant Governor in dissolving the DDCD is to “stop all the work of the Delhi government.”
The DDCD was constituted through a gazetted notification dated April 29, 2016, which was approved by the then Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. A reading of sections 3 and 8 of the notification reveals that the appointment of non-official members of the DDCD is entirely at the discretion of the Chief Minister and only he has the power to remove any member before the completion of his term.