Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in his office (File Pic)
In a letter today, Delhi Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal has accused the state's Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung of taking his cues from the union government to stall the Jan Lokpal Bill, an anti-graft proposal that has been championed by Mr Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
"It is for you to decide whether you will be able to stand up to the pressure or not," the chief minister has written to the constitutional head of Delhi. "I humbly want to suggest to you that you had taken an oath to protect the Constitution and not the interest of any party." (
Read letter)
Earlier today, Ashutosh, a senior AAP leader was more direct, controversially titling the Lieutenant Governor "a Congress agent."
"Lopal" refers to an ombudsmen empowered to investigate and prosecute government officers accused of venality.
Mr Kejriwal is scheduled to present the Jan Lokpal Bill, which sanctions the ombudmsan, to the Delhi Assembly at a special session later this month. The chief minister has taken umbrage at the Lieutenant Governor's decision to seek legal advice on whether that's permissible without the consent of the centre. India's Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran has said that because the Lokpal will be funded at least in part by the union government, the Home Ministry must clear Mr Kejriwal's bill before it is debated and voted upon by the Delhi legislature.
In his note today, Mr Kejriwal claims, "We've sought the opinion of four constitutional experts who say this is not the case.'
Mr Kejriwal has repeatedly accused the union government of shielding corrupt ministers. The Lokpal law passed recently by Parliament is so ineffectual that "even a mouse will not be imprisoned" with it, he said, vowing that his version will be far more strident. It offers a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for government officers found guilty of graft.