CM Arvind Kejriwal: Modi behind reshuffle, wants to destroy Delhi

Delhi lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung on Tuesday transferred several top bureaucrats overseeing implementation of a number of ambitious projects of the AAP government.

The move prompted angry reaction from chief minister Arvind Kejriwal who said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was behind the reshuffle and was “hell bent” to destroy Delhi.

The AAP government said that Mr Jung went ahead with the transfers notwithstanding requests by deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia not to transfer bureaucrats handling flagship programmes, including health secretary Tarun Seem, handling setting up of mohalla clinics, and PWD secretary Sarvagya Srivastava, overseeing construction of school buildings.

Hitting back, the L-G office said that the postings of Sarvagaya Srivastava, engineer-in-chief, PWD and Tarun Seem, mission director, Delhi state health mission as secretary (PWD) and secretary (Health) were illegal and against Government of India’s cadre rules.

“Today, several officers transferred by L-G directly. Files not even shown to CM or any minister. Is this Modi model of democracy ...Manish Sisodia requested L-G not to transfer these two officers looking after works of setting mohalla clinics and new schools till March 31, but he (L-G) did not relent,” Mr Kejriwal tweeted. Mr Sisodia said that Mr Modi will be responsible if quality of health services and education deteriorates. “We have got to know that Modiji has asked the L-G on phone to transfer these two officers. Mr Modi can go to any extent. If education and health quality deteriorates, Modiji will be responsible for this,” he said.

Mr Sisodia said the “PM should not stop” the AAP government’s work.

“He (Modi) wants to obstruct the good work being done in Delhi in health and education sectors by us. He wants to ruin Delhi,” he claimed. “For the first time, we had brought in non-IAS officers in these two departments (heath and PWD) as secretaries, an honest engineer in the PWD department and a person from a medical background in the health department. And, they have been transferred at a time when they were doing good job,” Mr Sisodia said.