NEW DELHI: Delhi Legislative Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel on Friday alleged that the government’s finance department has been sitting on a proposal for his visit to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Ghana saying approval of Lt Governor is needed for it.
At a press conference, Goel also alleged that the officers of the services department summoned two Vidhan Sabha section officers and sought from them confidential information about a probe by the OBC Welfare and Privileges committee and “threatened” them with suspension if they did not comply. The Speaker said he has written to L-G VK Saxena seeking disciplinary action against these officers for “misuse” of their official position and seeking confidential information into the probe against special secretary vigilance.
He said that a proposal for his visit to Ghana, scheduled to be held in October, is pending since June with the Finance department, despite clearance from the Centre’s Finance and External Affairs ministries. “These conferences are held every year and L-G’s approval has never been asked for because the Speaker does not work under him and whatever clearances are required are given by the Centre,” he said. Goel said he had attended the same Conference in Canada last year without any such objection.