Arvind Kejriwal, lt guv Baijal in fresh spat over teachers’ appointments

NEWDELHI: Lieutenant governor Anil Baijal urged chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to reconsider a bill for regularising the jobs of guest teachers that the Delhi government intends to introduce in a special assembly session on Wednesday.

The bill cleared by the cabinet in September seeks to regularise at least 15,000 teachers hired on contract.

But Baijal wrote to Kejriwal on Tuesday that introduction of the bill was “not in accordance with the constitutional scheme of governance of NCT of Delhi”.

The lieutenant governor’s stand could trigger another round of jurisdictional bickering between the national capital’s elected government and Raj Niwas. Before Baijal took over last December, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) government and then lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung had frequent runins over administrative issues.

Kejriwal’s AAP stands firm on its position that the Centre, to whom the lieutenant governor reports, should divest more powers to the city’s government.

Baijal’s letter set the stage for a stormy assembly session that will meet for a day to pass the bill for guest teachers and discuss issues such as the intended hike in Delhi Metro rail fares.

Baijal reasoned that teacher recruitment is under the services department, which reports directly to the lieutenant governor.

Citing the Delhi government’s transaction of business rules, he indicated that the government might not have consulted the law department, a mandatory procedure. Baijal referred to a Delhi high court order, which ruled last year that the government “cannot claim any executive power in relation to matters with respect to services”.

The Delhi government insisted that the hiring is within the education department’s jurisdiction.

“It comes under education. Whether the bill will be introduced tomorrow or not is to be decided by the legislators,” said Nagender Sharma, the chief minister’s media adviser.