Kejriwal fails to get his man posted as NDMC chief

The Centre rejected the Arvind Kejriwal government’s recommendation that 1987-batch IAS officer Naresh Kumar, currently joint secretary in the Ministry of Mines, be appointed the new chief of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC)

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On earlier occasions too, Kejriwal’s attempts of getting functionaries of his choice appointed in key posts have been rejected by the Union Home Ministry.
The ministry, which controls the appointments of all bureaucrats in the City, has asked the Delhi government to send a fresh panel of at least three names for filling up the NDMC chief’s post.

The Kejriwal government recommended the name of Naresh Kumar last week. Besides Naresh Kumar, Chetan Sanghi (1988-batch), who is Chief Secretary of Puducherry, was also in contention for the top post in the civic agency which largely serves the area under Kejriwal’s New Delhi Assembly constituency.

Sanghi was transferred as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, but he refused to join, sources said.

Sources said Kejriwal wants to appoint the bureaucrat of his choice as NDMC chief so that he could have a bigger say in the matters related to his constituency.

Earlier this month, the Home Ministry transferred NDMC Chairman Jalaj Srivastava to the Union Agriculture Ministry but he continues to serve in council till his successor takes over. He was appointed the NDMC chairman in August 2013 by the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government.

The Home Ministry’s disagreement with the Kejriwal government over appointment of a government functionary is not happening for the first time. Earlier, an AAP supporter’s name suggested by Kejriwal for the post of NDMC vice-chairman was also rejected by the Home Ministry.