Delhi: The political heat-wave is causing serious damages

The stand-off between the Delhi Government and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung is probably the biggest lesson Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ever learnt. Last time when Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal resigned in February 2014, he learnt that fights last longer in people’s mind than quitting.

He understood people wanted the system to change, and they would like him to be the agent of that change. Stay on and fight, he reiterated, while campaigning for Delhi polls. His AAP won 67 seats in the 70-member assembly.
But, it is yet to be seen whether Kejriwal has taken on the correct premise as situation around has become too hot to handle.

Despite the Supreme Court notice to the Delhi Government, seeking its response in three weeks on the High Court judgement regarding the powers of LG Jung, Kejriwal and his men may get in some serious trouble, if the attitude of heckling powers continued. All said and done, Delhi isn’t a random city or state.

It is national capital and for all practical reasons, it is in best interest that Centre and Delhi government co-exist in terms of administration.

Coming back to the bone of contention, some time ago, Centre had restrained the Delhi Government’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) from acting against its officers in criminal offences and had said the LG cannot act as per the CM’s discretion.

It all started when Shakuntala Gamlin, an IAS officer, was appointed as Acting Chief Secretary. Kejriwal levelled allegations against her, stating she had favoured discoms through a loan of Rs 11,000 crore and said in most certain terms that she shouldn’t be sitting in the vantage position.

This triggered a war of sorts since her appointment was made by Jung and that city administration, which rests in the hands of AAP government, practically has no role in the appointment.

The fiasco reached its crescendo with Kejriwal revolted (again) raising questions about the administration of the city, which had to be in the hands of the party that was ruling Delhi.

The government in Delhi, in fact, has least say in the matter of retaining or transferring bureaucrats who play a crucial role. LG was in no mood to listen to the rants and Kejriwal, who is also called as AK, on the other hand wrote to the Prime Minister on the matter. He even wanted to gain credibility for his argument through networking with all CMs from non-BJP ruled states, and work towards strengthening his case. And he did!

Now, the problem with this move is, though it can be seen as an aspect that’s detrimental to AK’s reputation, as he is seen as a constant fighter and not much of a doer, the numbers of non-BJP CMs can be a cause of concern for Modi Government . The power tussle has now become a dirty laundry that is getting a wash in the open.

The verdict issued by HC on May 21 states that LG will have jurisdiction over the matters connected with services, public order, police and land and that he may consult with the chief minister, whenever he deems it necessary, using his own discretion.

If you need to gain better perspective into the situation, you need to understand there is something that’s working at a deeper level.

Cooperative federalism and urbanisation are two major concepts that today’s India is trying to implement. States are massive and complicated structures. Urbanisation being the concept that’s surging through today, we need to understand the necessity of decentralisation.

Cities indeed drive the economic growth. But, so far, like a populist politics that reigned in India for the sake of votes, office and power, village appeasement is quite another thing that thrives. Political parties have been for long appeasing rural areas without paying decent amount of attention to urban areas.

When you set aside the ‘incident’ between AK and Jung, what you see under the surface is the need for full statehood for Delhi. Kejriwal has always been upfront about his demand of full statehood

It is indeed important that the elected Delhi Government, like it happens in all states, requires greater say in city’s administration. Right now, the control Centre has over Delhi makes it impossible to function like a state unit, despite enjoying people’s mandate.

But, it looks like a full statehood for Delhi as desired by AK will remain a distant dream for the time being. Because Delhi is just not any other city. It is the capital of the country which houses the seat of power and it is the space from where the country’s fate changes through an elected government at the Centre. Hence, the Union Government will certainly have a say in Delhi’s administration.

Let’s not lose sight of AAP’s and AK’s aspirations of moving to become a national party. This could also be a stepping stone for AK to make it a mission of his life to ensure statehood for Delhi. Whether the battle is tangible or not, it surely is going to work against all the might that BJP can bring together.

By writing to other CMs, AK simply spread out the issue beyond its geographical limitations. This could work either miracles or turn into a bane depending on the ground work AK and his team would do for Delhi. Either way, right now, there is no order in this chaos. Delhi suffers, both politically and figuratively.

(Image: Indiatimes)