LG vs AAP: Govt think tank another flashpoint
NEW DELHI: The office of Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) vice-chairperson Jasmine Shah has been sealed on orders of lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, officials aware of the matter said on Friday, adding that the LG has also urged chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to sack Shah on charges of misusing his office for political purposes.
Shah’s office was sealed at 10.20pm on Thursday, according to documents seen by HT, after the DDC vice-chairperson was given two opportunities to reply to a show cause notice but failed to do so.
Reacting to the developments, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Friday demanded that the office of ITDC chairperson Sambit Patra be also sealed as he is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson. Despite repeated calls and messages, Patra did not respond to Sisodia’s comment.
Shah said the LG’s order has no “basis in law”.
“The action taken by Delhi’s LG to seal my office at DDC and stop me from discharging my duties is without jurisdiction, completely illegal and unconstitutional. The LG has said I cannot act as a spokesperson for AAP while being vice-chairperson of DDC. I have one question for the LG - Sambit Patra is a National Spokesperson of BJP while also holding the office of Chairman of ITDC. If my office is being sealed, then why not his? How can two laws operate in the same country - one for AAP and one for BJP?,” Shah said in a statement.
The DDC — the state government’s think-tank — was founded in 2015 and has been behind the formulation of various policies by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi. Shah, the DDC vice-chairperson, holds the rank of a minister in the Delhi government and is entitled to pay, allowance and other facilities at par with other ministers.
The charges against Shah stem from a complaint lodged against him by West Delhi MP and BJP leader Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma in September, in which he accused the DDC vice-chairperson of using his office for political activities such as attending political debates on TV on behalf of the ruling AAP.