Officials’ decision on reply to govt’s talks offer today
CRUCIAL MEET Bureaucrats to gather today as AAP govt appoints peacemaker
NEW DELHI: A crucial meeting of the joint forum of Delhi government officers on Monday will decide whether the bureaucrats should respond to the government’s call to hold talks to end the standoff between the officials and the political executive.
An alleged assault on Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by some AAP MLAS in a meeting at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s house on Monday midnight has snowballed into a major crisis as bureaucrats have been boycotting meetings with ministers even as the government is preparing to present the Budget.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has appointed social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam to establish talks with the officials and “build trust” which has been shattered following the Monday’s incident.
Gautam on Saturday approached the agitating officers and proposed a meeting to initiate talks and find a solution to the crisis.
Secretary, IAS Association, Manisha Saxena said that the corrective measures, as demanded, should be “visible from the government side for the possibility of holding talks”.
“Joint Forum of Delhi Government Officers and Employees Association will hold a meeting on Monday where it would be decided how to go about the minister’s (Gautam) proposal of holding talks,” Saxena said on Sunday.
She said that it was a matter related to the “safety and dignity” of the officers and the government, especially CM Arvind Kejriwal should show a positive approach.
An MLA from Seemapuri, Gautam was sworn-in as a minister in Delhi cabinet in May last year. Government sources said Gautam was chosen since he was not involved in any direct conflict with the bureaucrats has a good rapport with them. “May be it is because of his soft spoken attitude and his good image among the officials that he was entrusted with the task of engaging with the (agitating) officers,” an AAP leader said.
“The ongoing i mpasse between the bureaucracy and the government should be broken as it is affecting governance in Delhi. I had a word with some bureaucrats and their association. I appealed them to hold a meeting with us to end the stalemate. Now, I am waiting for their response,” Gautam said.
Following the Monday’s incident, the government officers (IAS, DANICS and DASS) resolved to communicate with the ministers “only through written channels”. The officers had also demanded a written apology from the CM.
Meetings related to several important issues were cancelled after bureaucrats boycotted the meetings called by the ministers, hitting governance. The appointment of Gautam as the peacemaker came after Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues met lieutenant governor Anil Baijal on Friday where they were directed to speak to the bureaucrats to end the stalemate.
Hinting at AAP MLA Naresh Balyan’s remarks of beating officers who hinder public works, Gautam said there was no place of violence in democracy and people should “exercise caution” while making statements on the ongoing issue.
“You (officers) talk of building mutual trust, so the government has taken first step. Now, you should also come forward. We are not goons. I respect officials. Like the political executive, the officers are also accountable to the people,” Gautam said.