NEW DELHI: The ongoing tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) shows no signs of abating, with portfolio allocation to Atishi being the latest flashpoint.
In the recent development, the AAP alleged on Thursday that the L-G is yet to give approval to the proposed cabinet reshuffle. According to a Delhi government source, the proposal was made to assign three major portfolios — finance, revenue and planning — to Atishi. However, the proposal has not been accepted so far, claimed the source.
However, sources from the L-G’s secretariat refuted the allegations and said that the file was signed on Wednesday and promptly returned to the Delhi government. In response, the AAP dismissed the L-G office’s statement as baseless and demanded that they produce a copy of the order or any other relevant evidence to support their claims.
Once the official notification is issued, Atishi will be responsible for a total of 12 departments. Currently, she is in charge of nine departments, which include education, power, public works, women and child development, art & culture, tourism, higher education, training and technical education, as well as public relations.
The three departments proposed to be given to Atishi were under the purview of Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot. The latest development follows a cabinet reshuffle in March, prompted by the resignations of Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain. During the reshuffle, Atishi took charge of education and power portfolios, while Saurabh Bhardwaj was appointed as the health minister.
Currently, Gahlot holds the finance and revenue portfolio, and the development portfolio is managed by Gopal Rai. However, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva labelled the development as “political blackmailing” by former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. “With no prospect of receiving bail, Sisodia reportedly threatened to act as an approver unless the CM handed over all his lucrative departments to his political protégé, Atishi,” alleged Sachdeva.
Rise and rise of Atishi in government
The junior-most minister in the Arvind Kejriwal cabinet, Atishi (42) has emerged as the second most powerful in the government, replacing Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain who are in jail. After a notification is issued Atishi will be handling a dozen departments. The Kalkaji MLA is being projected as heir to Sisodia, reports Ashish Srivastava