Is Delhi L-G Anil Baijal lying about CCTV cameras?
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and lieutenant governor Anil Baijal have exchanged letters, tweets and bad vibes over the past week on the issue of installation of CCTV cameras in Delhi. Kejriwal has accused the L-G of deceitfully paralysing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's ambitious proposal to install 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras across Delhi, a key promise it had made before the 2015 elections towards enhancing women's security.
The week-long correspondence culminated in the chief minister leading a march of elected representatives of the AAP to the L-G Secretariat, requesting an opportunity to discuss the matter in person. When the L-G refused to allow MLAs to enter his office and instead asked the chief minister, his Cabinet ministers and one AAP MP to meet him, a defiant Kejriwal stayed put.
"This is a democracy. These (MLAs) are representatives of the people. They have come to meet the L-G on behalf of the people of Delhi. Why should the L-G refuse to meet them," he asked an officer of Delhi Police, who had been despatched by Baijal to negotiate with CM Kejriwal.
The L-G tweeted, reiterating his stand. He said he had neither received a proposal for installation of CCTVs, nor had he rejected such a proposal. He added, cheekily, "Hon. CM prefers to 'protest without reason'."Baijal's tweet is a string of carefully chosen words meant to deceive the unvigilant. A master class in sophistry, it is the bureaucratic equivalent of, "I am not lying, I am merely hiding the truth."
Despite agreeing to meet Hon. CM @ArvindKejriwal with his Ministers & Hon. MP although my yesterday's letter had clarified that no proposal for installation of CCTVs has been recd nor I hv issued any orders to stall/stop award of work, Hon. CM prefers to "protest without reason".
— LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) May 14, 2018
A cursory analysis of the "L-G Outcome Report" presented by the AAP government in Delhi Assembly earlier this year reveals an interesting modus operandi employed by L-G Baijal, a departure from the Najeeb Jung era. Unlike Jung, Baijal often wears a mask of civility and propriety while continuing to obstruct Kejriwal's government.
What has the L-G done to cause such heartburn to the AAP government? In January this year, the Delhi government initiated the process to invite and award a "rate contract" to install up to 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras in the city.
A rate contract essentially empanels the agency for the purpose of installing cameras on a per camera basis. The advantage of such a contract is that contractor is bound to install cameras at a fixed rate. For example, if a Resident Welfare Association (RWA) approaches an MLA for installing cameras in their society, the cameras can potentially be installed by the contractor using MLA-LADS funds.
Public sector undertaking, Bharat Electricals Ltd (BEL), made the lowest bid and is expected to be awarded the contract after the Cabinet's approval. The AAP's promise to Delhi was one Cabinet meeting away from becoming a reality, when the L-G caught whiff. Last week, he announced the setting up of a "high-level committee" to "prepare a common framework for installing, operating and monitoring CCTV cameras in the national capital".
Without pre-empting the committee's recommendations, it can be safely said that the terms of reference set by Baijal are aimed at ensuring that the decentralised procedure for installation as envisioned by the AAP's rate contract proposal is derailed. The elected government was not even consulted before the committee was announced.
Even if one is to entertain the possibility that the L-G's actions are founded in genuine concern about the process followed for installation of cameras, the question one must ask is: why now? Over the last two years, Delhi Police, NDMC, DMRC, MCDs, etc have installed over two lakh cameras. It is mighty fishy that the L-G has chosen to intervene in the process on the eve of the Delhi government's CCTV rollout.
Why didn’t u set up committee when MCD, NDMC, Metro, police set up 2 lac cameras last yr? Now when Del govt installing cameras, u set up a committee? People questioning ur motives. Obviously, BJP stalling it thro u. Sir, pl say “NO” to BJP’s pressures for sake of Del’s women https://t.co/z2LkZQ4Lbe
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 14, 2018
Ironically, even the NDMC, which was successfully installing cameras, has been forced to halt installation in light of the committee being set up by the L-G.
NDMC was successfully installing CCTV cameras in residential colonies for last 2 yrs. In view of LG’s committee, NDMC stops further installation of cameras. Extremely unfortunate. Whatever gud work was gng on has also been stopped. Dirty politics being played wid women safety pic.twitter.com/9XGEF7Yv9j
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 14, 2018
The L-G's track record suggests such wilful misrepresentation of facts has become the norm. Last year, after expressing his concern over a shortage of staff in Delhi government hospitals, CM Kejriwal had directed the relevant departments to fill the vacancies, and meanwhile allow medical superintendents to hire retired personnel against those positions.
L-G Anil Baijal, who is empowered to hire personnel in Delhi, issued an advertisement for recruitment with the condition, "Only retired personnel eligible!"
When the chief minister expressed his disbelief at what the L-G had done, Baijal said he was merely following the directions of the chief minister. Till date, those positions remain unfilled.
A parallel government of Delhi is being run from the Raj Niwas by an appointee of the BJP-led central government. This is one of several such occasions when the elected government's power has been usurped by the L-G office in an underhand manner.
The only language the L-G appears to understand is that of public pressure. When he had held up a mohalla clinics file for almost four months, 40 AAP MLAs protested outside his residence for an entire day before he finally cleared the proposal.
In the face of the incessant harassment, Kejriwal continues to fight daily battles in the interest of Delhi's people.
Editor's note: Headline was modified after the piece was published.
(The writer national joint secretary, Aam Aadmi Party.)