AAP MLA Atishi Hits Out at Delhi L-G Saxena for Conducting Meet With Water Board

Atishi said that only three areas were under the control of the L-G, namely land, law and order, and police.

AAP MLA Atishi.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Atishi hit out at Delhi's newly appointed Lt Governor (L-G) Vinay Kumar Saxena for conducting a meeting with the city's water board, alleging that he was attempting to infringe on the state government's ambit of governance.

"The new L-G called a meeting with Delhi Jal Board officials on Monday and issued certain directions and orders to them. Since he has been appointed recently and may not know Delhi and its governance structure well, I want to inform him that under the Constitutional position of Delhi, the L-G has been given three areas – land, law and order, and police. This has been made clear in the Supreme Court's Constitutional Bench judgment as well," the AAP leader said.

'Health, Water, Education & Power Under Govt's Control': Atishi

Atishi also said that the passing of the recent law that led to the reunification of Delhi's municipal corporations might be interpreted to mean that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) would also be controlled by the L-G, but matters pertaining to health, water, power, and education were strictly under the state government's control.

Delhi's AAP government has had several problems with the L-Gs in the state, most prominently with the former L-G Anil Baijal, since the government came to power in the state in 2015.

Last year, the Lok Sabha passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which stated that the government in the national capital territory of Delhi means the L-G of Delhi.

This, in effect, made the L-G the operative head of the Arvind Kejriwal-led state government. The ruling came as a huge setback for the AAP.

The bill also gave discretionary powers to the L-G, even in matters where the Legislative Assembly of the state was empowered to make laws.