Kejriwal again seeks Sanjiv Chaturvedi as OSD

New Delhi, July 11: Days after the central government declined Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's request to depute IFS officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi as his OSD, the AAP leader has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider the decision.

The Aam Aadmi Party leader also said that the central government was not properly utilising the services of the officer.

"The officer is known for integrity and efficiency. However, it is unfortunate that his services were never utilised properly by the central as well as state government. Delhi government needs his services for the welfare of the people," he said in his letter of July 3 made public now.

Kejriwal added: "I request you to kindly once again consider for inter-cadre deputation of Sanjiv Chaturvedi, in a more sympathetic manner, for the larger public interest, for the welfare of people of Delhi."

Earlier, Kejriwal had on February 16, 2015 written to the central government seeking the services of 2002 batch Indian Forest Services (IFS) officer Chaturvedi as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in his office.

The central government's eventual 'no' came in June 2016.

In his July 3 letter Kejriwal said: "It has been settled practice of our democratic polity that whenever an officer is required as a personal staff by any CM or minister of any government, same is deputed accordingly, irrespective of political differences.

"However I am surprised to know that after inordinate delay of 16 months, which included four directions of the courts, the said request has finally been rejected."

The central government had said that service rules bar deputation of Chaturvedi as OSD to Kejriwal as he needs to first complete the mandatory cooling-off period of three years before joining the Delhi government.

Chaturvedi, of Uttarakhand cadre and a Magsaysay Award winner, is now Deputy Secretary at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here. The Delhi Chief Minister is also a Magsaysay award winner.

IANS