"Will Strangulate Delhi Government": Arvind Kejriwal On New Order

The Delhi government's services and functioning will be "completely strangulated" by a new order from the Lieutenant Governor that stopped the engagement of hundreds of advisors and fellows without his approval, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Thursday.

"I don't know what does Hon'ble LG achieve by doing all this? I hope Hon'ble SC immediately quashes it," Mr Kejriwal tweeted, referring to the Supreme Court.

The Services Department, which reports to the Lieutenant Governor, wrote to all departments, boards, commissions and autonomous bodies under the Delhi government on Wednesday, directing them to stop engaging persons as fellows and advisors without the Lieutenant Governor's approval.

The letter came days after Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena terminated the services of around 400 ''specialists'' appointed by the Kejriwal government in different departments, citing alleged irregularities in recruitment. The decision was dubbed as "unconstitutional" by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dispensation, which plans to challenge it in court.

The letter also said the Delhi Legislative Assembly is not competent to appoint or engage such manpower without the Lieutenant Governor's approval.

The Services Department asked the Finance Department not to release salaries henceforth for those engaged without the Lieutenant Governor's approval, and instructed other departments to forward their cases with proper justification to the Lieutenant Governor for consideration.

The Lieutenant Governor's office had earlier said the appointments also did not follow the mandatory reservation policy for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes prescribed by the constitution.

The move comes as the Delhi government and the central government fight over who controls the city's bureaucracy. A Supreme Court order in May had given the control to the Delhi government, but days later, the centre issued a special order wresting it back.