AAP-LG tussle: Cong slams AAP, BJP for creating 'constitutional crisis' in Delhi

New Delhi, May 20: Congress today accused AAP and BJP of "deliberately" creating a "constitutional crisis" over bureaucratic appointments in Delhi and said the two parties were using the row to divert attention away from their failure to fulfil poll promises.

Insisting that Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were "equally responsible" for the situation, Congress questioned the duo for taking the issue to President Pranab Mukherjee instead of looking for a solution in a "mature fashion".

The party also questioned Jung's decision to undo orders passed by the Kejriwal government in the past one week, adding that these developments are going to have a bad impact on the administration in Delhi which, it claimed, was reeling under a water and power crisis.

"Perhaps it is in the interest of the BJP and the central government (led by it) to rake up this issue because the celebrations for or protests over one year of Modi's government are going to take place... They have no answer for 'achhe din' which were supposed to come.

"They don't want people to talk about that. They want people to talk about this constitutional crisis. Same with Kejriwal. He doesn't perhaps want people to talk about the power and water crisis in Delhi," said Congress's Delhi unit chief, Ajay Maken.

Accusing Jung and Kejriwal of using administrative officers to fight their political turf war, he added.

"Why do officers need to choose whom to obey, the Lt Governor or the Chief Minister? It has de-motivated and demoralised the officials of Delhi. It will have a very bad impact in the coming days.

"Delhi is reeling under a power and water crisis... Officers don't want to go and work. Many of the officers want to go on leave. Such is the situation created deliberately by AAP and BJP."

Escalating his confrontation with the AAP government, Jung today cancelled all appointments made by it in the last four days as he asserted that he was the sole authority in matters of ordering transfer and posting of bureaucrats.

The appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as acting chief secretary had last week triggered a full-blown war between the ruling AAP and Jung with Kejriwal alleging that the LG was trying to take over the administration.

PTI