NEW DELHI: The appointment of a pro tem speaker at MCD House became the latest flashpoint between the AAP and L-G VK Saxena with Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj slamming the latter for disapproving the name of AAP councillor Mukesh Goyal for the post. Bharadwaj claimed that the L-G removed Goyal’s name citing that there was a pending case against him. “I want to tell the L-G today that there is no case against Mukesh Goyal. The media and the people of Delhi were misinformed by the L-G Office. This is unfortunate,” he said.
Upping the ante, he said, “There is also a case against Om Birla, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. How did he become a full-time Speaker?” Bharadwaj claimed that the L-G did not have the power to change the name recommended to him by the MCD commissioner and the Delhi government.
“The L-G has only two options, one is to accept the government’s recommendation and the other is not to accept it and send it to the President for reference. It does not come within the powers of the L-G to change the name recommended,” he contended.
Bharadwaj said that in total, seven names – six by the MCD Commissioner and one by the Delhi government – were proposed for the position.
Besides Goyal, the L-G removed two names, saying that the candidates were not educated enough, alleged Bharadwaj. He recalled a recent statement made by the L-G in this context. “L-G himself said a few days ago that ‘qualification is a receipt for the money spent’. Sometimes he says one thing and at other times he contradicts himself,” he said. Mocking Saxena, Bharadwaj said, “If there is an objection to someone having only studied till fifth class, then the L-G should have a bigger problem with those who failed the fourth standard.”