New Delhi: The AAP on Monday alleged that Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena was trying to “crack down” on assembly committees and wrote to the chief secretary and the assembly seeking details on their functioning.
The party’s national spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj told a press conference that the petitions committee of the Delhi Assembly had recommended action against the officials on three different issues. But the LG instead of taking action against them decided to act against the committees, he alleged.
The AAP said, “The Delhi LG is trying to take action against the assembly committees. He has written to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar and the Delhi Assembly, questioning how the committees are functioning and whether they are going against the law.” ” “They feel they are interfering in the work of government officials. LG has a problem with committees. This makes it clear that whatever interference officials do in the work of government is done at the behest of LG” ” Alleged.
Citing examples of the intervention of the petitions committee of the Delhi Assembly, Bharadwaj said the committee had taken up the matter of sacking of OPD (Out Patient Department) staff in government hospitals. He said, “OPD staff working for months were sacked, counters left empty. During the hearing of the petition committee, it was found that two IAS officers were deliberately sitting on the files and when the committee intervened, Those issues were resolved.”
“The committee had recommended action against Health Secretary Amit Singla and Principal Secretary Finance AC Verma to the Lieutenant Governor, but nothing was done,” Bhardwaj claimed. He said that Singla and Verma were also found involved in withholding the salaries of doctors working in Mohalla clinics.
“Despite having crores of rupees in its (dedicated) account of mohalla clinics, mohalla clinics were unable to pay salaries of doctors and money was withheld to conduct tests. It was found by the committee that Singla and Verma were also involved in were,” he said. Said.
In another instance, Bhardwaj claimed that before Diwali, the Social Welfare Department had stopped giving pension to senior citizens and poor people. He said, “The petition committee had recommended action against social welfare director Pooja Joshi, but here again no action was taken by the LG. This shows that all this was being done on the instructions of the LG.”
