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L-G overrides CM’s choice, picks Gahlot over Atishi to hoist Tricolour on I-Day
Centre told Saxena to make decision citing ‘special’ situation due to CM’s arrest: Raj Niwas official; ruling AAP welcomes move but accuses L-G of trying to ‘take away’ the elected government’s right
L-G V.K. Saxena (left) and Delhi Home Minister Kailash Gahlot (second from left) at the foundation-laying ceremony of a bus depot in the city on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Overriding Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s choice, Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena on Tuesday nominated Delhi Home Minister Kailash Gahlot to hoist the Tricolour at the Delhi government’s Independence Day programme.
“The Lieutenant-Governor is pleased to nominate Minister (Home), GNCTD, Kailash Gahlot, to unfurl the national flag at the State-level Independence Day celebrations at Chhatrasaal Stadium. Necessary arrangements may be made accordingly,” Mr. Saxena’s Secretary Ashish Kundra said in a communication to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar.
This has come a day after General Administration Minister Gopal Rai met Mr. Kejriwal at Tihar Jail and wrote to his department ordering to make preparations for the unfurling of the Tricolour by Finance Minister Atishi, who he said was selected by the Chief Minister.
However, a Raj Niwas official said the L-G nominated Mr. Gahlot after the Union Home Ministry in a letter to him asked to make the decision in view of “special circumstances” emerging from the CM’s arrest in corruption cases linked to the now-scrapped 2021-22 Delhi excise policy.
The CM had on August 6 also written to the L-G, saying Ms. Atishi should hoist the Tricolour, but the letter never reached Raj Niwas as it was withheld by the jail authorities for the “abuse of privileges” under the prison rules.
Meanwhile, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party welcomed the L-G’s order, saying it “honours the principle of democracy by choosing an elected representative over an appointed one, reinforcing the importance of the people’s mandate”.
However, it slammed the withholding of Mr. Kejriwal’s letter by the jail administration, with former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia describing it as a bid to “prevent an elected government” from hoisting the national flag on Independence Day.
“Letters of conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar from Tihar Jail immediately reach the L-G and he acts on them, but the letter of an elected Chief Minister does not reach him,” he told reporters.
‘Petty politics’
“It is very unfortunate that such petty politics is being done on a pious occasion like Independence Day,” he said, asking if the L-G even once enquired about the CM’s letter when it did not reach him.
Ms. Atishi also equated the L-G to a British-era Viceroy, accusing him of a bid to “take away the right of an elected government to hoist the national flag”.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva welcomed Mr. Saxena’s decision. “We have been saying for long that since Kejriwal is in jail, he is not authorised to decide who will unfurl the national flag in his absence,” the BJP leader added.
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