NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday asked Lt-Governor Anil Baijal to “respect democracy” after the latter held a meeting on Covid-19 with top officials of state government without inviting any minister or elected representative.Reacting sharply to the L-G’s move, the CM asked Baijal not to hold such engagements “behind the back of an elected government”.
The meeting on Covid-19 preparedness and future plan of action was attended by chief secretary Vijay Dev, additional chief secretary (home and health), divisional commissioner, secretary (health) and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation chairman Mangu Singh, among others.
Baijal tweeted about the instructions passed to mitigate and manage any future surge in cases. Responding to it, Kejriwal lashed out in a Twitter post. “It is against Constitution and Supreme Court Constitution Bench’s judgment to hold such parallel meetings behind the back of elected government. People have elected a Council of Ministers. If you have any questions, please ask your ministers. Avoid holding direct meetings with officers. Let’s respect democracy, Sir,” he tweeted.
BJP leader Vijender Gupta said the CM should not talk about democratic values. “The Kejriwal government had misled the courts on Covid management. It has mastered the art of obfuscation wants to be an authority on truth,” he remarked.