Three reasons why Jung is out to get Kejriwal

Delhi lieutenant-governor (L-G) Najeeb Jung and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal are warring once again – this time over the transfer and posting of senior bureaucrats. The issue could have been amicably settled between the L-G and the chief minister had the authority of the two constitutional posts been well defined.

It all began when Delhi chief secretary KK Sharma went on leave for ten days. Jung decided to post power secretary Shakuntala Gamlin as the acting chief secretary on May 15, once he realised that the temporary post had not been filled for more than 40 hours. Kejriwal took an exception to this, and the issue over authority has snowballed into an open war between the two.

While Jung could have picked up the phone or written an official letter reminding Kejriwal to issue an order as soon as possible, Kejriwal could have also allowed Gamlin to function as an acting chief secretary since it was only a matter of ten days.

While one can discuss whose fault it was in this particular case, there are ample reasons why Jung has taken on Kejriwal.

1. More loyal than the king: Jung, it seems, has mastered the art of pleasing his political bosses in order to remain close to the seat of power. It is an open secret that his close proximity to the Congress leaders when the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power had won him the L-G’s post. This was perhaps a reason he clashed with Kejriwal during the latter’s first stint in power, over the introduction of the Jan Lokpal Bill in the state Assembly, to woo the UPA. It is only obvious to say that he is now confronting Kejriwal to keep the BJP ministers in good humour. The Centre would have been accused of partisanship had they directly meddled in the affairs of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). By having Jung needling Kejriwal works in its favour. No wonder then that while all other governors appointed by the previous UPA government have been replaced, Jung enjoys the confidence of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime.

That the Centre is indirectly imposing itself in this matter is not hard to fathom. Here's how: The proviso to Article 239AA(4) provides that if there is any difference of opinion between the L-G and the council of ministers, the L-G shall take the matter to the President and act in accordance with the decision given thereon by the President. The Constitution also says that the President acts on the advice of the Union council of ministers. It can be understood now why Jung must have gone to Pranab Mukherjee.

2. Old bureaucratic rivalry between the IAS and non-IAS: Jung is a 1973 batch former Indian Admistrative Service (IAS) officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre while Kejriwal is a former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of the 1993 batch. The Indian Police Service (IPS) and IRS officers are known to harbour a grudge against the central government for meting out "preferential" treatment to the IAS officers in matters of power, postings and salary. The old bureaucratic rivalry between the IAS and IRS backgrounds of Jung and Kejriwal respectively may have played a role here.

By posting Gamlin, Jung apparently tried to prove that the L-G has overriding powers over and above the chief minister on several matters.

3. Reliance connection: AAP leader Ashutosh has alleged that though Jung was employed by Reliance Industries in the past, the L-G has concealed this from his profile in the official website of the Delhi government. The AAP leader has also accused Jung of favouring Reliance Industries when he was posted as a joint secretary (exploration) in the Union ministry of petroleum and natural gas. Ashutosh maintains that Jung’s relation with Kejriwal soured when the Delhi government ordered a CAG audit of the Reliance-backed power distribution companies.