In AAP vs Centre Tug Of War, Casualty Is Delhi's 'Aam Aadmi' | Opinion

Delhi has been the battlefield of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Central government led by the BJP since 2015. The Aam Aadmi Party has been in power in the national capital since 2015. However, the party led by Arvind Kejriwal was quick to challenge the central government's control on administrative issues and police. It has been demanding full statehood for Delhi as well. Just like the opposition-ruled states are at odds with the Centre-appointed governors, the Delhi government has also been a loggerhead with the Lieutenant Governor. 

The Kejriwal government, which has been in power for nearly a decade, has frequently clashed with Lieutenant Governors (LG), who are political appointees executing the directives of the central government. In light of these tensions, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has included a promise in its election manifesto to grant Delhi full statehood. This change would effectively liberate the administration from the influence of the LGs, who often act as representatives of the central authority.

The tussle started after the Union Home Ministry issued a notification in 2015. The notification effectively placed the LG in charge of the capital, granting him full control over 'services,' which includes the authority to post or transfer civil servants in Delhi, overriding the Chief Minister. The Delhi government has subsequently moved the High Court and the Supreme Court challenging the notification. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that the Delhi government has legislative and executive powers over the administration and control of services except for public order - police and land. The apex court noted that the LG is bound by the advice of the council of ministers.

The recent death of three UPSC aspirants due to basement flooding led to the blame game once again with both the AAP and the BJP taking on each other. While the BJP demanded Arvind Kejriwal's resignation, the AAP accused the LG of hampering the work. However, the political blame game is just the tip of the iceberg as the bureaucracy under the Delhi government has also been divided into two camps - one that sides with the AAP and the other with the LG. This was evident from a video released by Delhi Minister Sourabh Bhardwaj in which the Delhi Chief Secretary's uncooperative behaviour was evident. 

एक मंत्री डेसिल्टिंग में हुए भ्रष्टाचार के सुबूत देता है, शिकायत करता है , मगर एक साल तक पीडब्ल्यूडी सेक्रेटरी अनबरासु IAS करवाई नहीं करते।

अगले साल फिर सुबूत देते हैं मगर वो मौक़े पर दौरा करने को तैयार नहीं।

मुख्य सचिव नरेश कुमार IAS जो चीफ़ विजिलेंस ऑफिसर है , कौ कार्यवाही… pic.twitter.com/DShr4Zc2KW

— Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) July 28, 2024

Delhi Minister Aatishi said, "Do watch this video of Delhi’s Chief Secretary. Note his contempt for the Minister and the government…This attitude and unresponsive of the bureaucracy towards the needs of the people of Delhi is coming from the GNCTD Amendment Act. This Act snatched the powers of the elected govt- given by the Supreme Court - and gave them to the Central Govt. As a consequence, the officers ONLY follow the directions of the Central Govt. So the BJP is snatching power from opposition-ruled states via their Governors: LGs and the bureaucracy. The people of Delhi are paying a very heavy price for this hubris of the BJP."

दिल्ली को बर्बाद और तबाह करने के लिए BJP के LG के अंतर्गत काम कर रहे अधिकारी‼️ pic.twitter.com/MEuLAEtx9y — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) July 30, 2024

On the other hand, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar accused Saurabh Bharadwaj of sitting on key legislation for five months to tackle waterlogging in the national capital. 

The rains have time and again exposed Delhi's drainage system. Yesterday's rain led to long traffic jams and waterlogging in the national capital. Many areas in Delhi have been dug up for laying down new sewer pipelines and the work has slowed down after the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In the peak summer, Delhiites face drinking water shortage, in winter, they face smog and shelter problems and in rain, they face flooding. Arvind Kejriwal has been promising to clean Yamuna river in the next five years since 2015 but it's yet to get done and people pay their Chhath obeisance while standing in hazardous foam. For every problem that Delhi faces, the Aam Aadmi Party find a reason to blame someone else. When there was a Congress government in Punjab, AAP used to blame them for stubble burning cauing smog in Delhi. After AAP came to power in Punjab, Delhi government now blames Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Similarly, for water crisis, Delhi blames Haryana. For every problem, AAP always finds a scapegoat, rather than solving the problem. In the AAP vs BJP tussle, the 'Aam Aadmi' has become the casualty. 

While people suffer during every season in Delhi, the power tussle remains a priority for the BJP and the AAP. If the BJP thinks that Delhiites are fool enough and can't see through their optics, then the saffron party leaders are in for a rude shock. If the BJP thinks that they can win Delhi assembly polls by creating problems for Delhiites and blaming it on the AAP, then they will get a double surprise. On the other hand, if the Aam Aadmi Party thinks that it can let the problem become worse and escape from its governance responsibilities, then it's their biggest mistake. While the LG may have been trying to hamper the Delhi government's work, it's the responsibility of the elected AAP leaders to get the work done at any cost. Merely holding multiple press conferences and passing the buck by blaming the Centre is not going to work for long. People will ultimately question their MLAs and they elected leaders may find it difficult to justify delays in getting the work done.