'Duty letter', not 'love letter': Delhi LG hits back at Arvind Kejriwal over 'thoda chill karo' remark

Lt Governor slammed Arvind Kejriwal’s comment of “Chill a bit” and wrote a 6-page letter which he called a “Duty Letter”. He also accused Kejriwal of making baseless personal allegations

Representational Image (Credits: ANI)

New Delhi: Days after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal advised the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi VK Saxena to “chill a bit” after the governor slammed the Kejriwal-led government of focusing on "speeches and marketing" and diverting from basic public interest, Saxena, on Friday, October 7, 2022, issued a 6-page letter accusing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers of neglecting their constitutional duties and responsibilities in leading Delhi. 

The 6-paged letter came days after Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia accused him of encroaching with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's functioning and "unconstitutionally" initiating inquiries into its policies and decisions.

Kejriwal wrote in a tweet two days ago: "LG sahib scolds me on a daily basis, whereas my wife does not. My wife has not written me as many love letters in the last six months as LG sahib has. Chill a little, LG sahib. Also, tell your super boss to chill a little."

Kejriwal tweeted in response to the latest letter from the LG, "Today one more love letter has arrived."

"I hope that you will accept this message of mine in the true sense as a 'duty letter' received from the guardian of Delhi, which you are calling 'love letter'," Saxena wrote in the letter.

In his six-page letter, Mr Saxena detailed 11 decisions taken by the Delhi government so far that have caused tension between Delhi's Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister.

Accusing the Kejriwal-led government of running on advertisements, Saxena stated, "Your government is running on the basis of advertisements and speeches. When I, while discharging my constitutional responsibilities, made you aware of these shortcomings and requested you to redress them, you and your colleagues not only misled the people, but also made baseless personal allegations. Take cognizance and reference of Manish Sisodia's baseless, misleading and nonsensical statements."

The LG further wrote, "I would like to remind you that the issues that were conveyed to you in the letter constituted the feelings of all the common citizens of Delhi and the issues were related to administration. I or the people of Delhi have not yet received any satisfactory reply from you on those matters."

Mr Saxena added that as the Lieutenant Governor, he had taken prompt and appropriate action against corruption, inaction and transparency in any government department or body. He claimed that he had been completely impartial and conscientious in the discharge of his constitutional responsibilities.

Responding to Mr Sisodia's demand for an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged ₹ 6,000 crore scam in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the LG said: "A detailed report has been sought from the authorities concerned."