The Delhi government said on Saturday that the BJP calling the 400 ‘specialists’ — whose services were terminated by the L-G, as “AAP’s volunteers” was nothing but frustration.
“These allegations are not only laughable but also reflect the deep frustration of the BJP. The BJP has labelled these individuals, who are contractual employees of the Delhi government, as Aam Aadmi Party workers based on their social media posts or likes. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal commands a 54 per cent vote share in Delhi, so it is natural that he is highly appreciated both online and on the ground,” the government said in a statement.
The government emphasised that appreciating their governance model should not be considered a crime.
It further stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not want anyone who expresses appreciation for Kejriwal’s work on social media, to work in the Delhi government.
“If the same criteria were applied to the Central government, more than half of the Central government employees would have to be suspended for ‘liking or tweeting’ BJP posts,” it said.
The Delhi government further clarified that all the 400 people whom the L-G sought to terminate were appointed after complying with the specific rules and conditions of the relevant departments.
“No violations of any rules have taken place. Autonomous bodies such as the Delhi Jal Board or DTC have their own rules and regulations that empower their boards to appoint officers after due process, which has also been followed in those appointments. The L-G does not possess any authority to interfere with or terminate these appointments. However, if anyone has any objections, they are free to approach the court. In fact, the Delhi government plans to challenge this unconstitutional order issued by the L-G in court,” it said.
The statement further said that “the Delhi government found it laughable that in its rush to levy these baseless allegations, the BJP released the names of several individuals who had no connection with the Delhi government or the AAP”.
“For instance, Nisha Singh, who worked as an advisor in the Deputy Chief Minister’s office for a nominal salary of one rupee until 2019, is no longer associated with the government. Similarly, Priyadarshini Singh, whom the BJP claims is an AAP worker from Haryana, has no affiliation with the Delhi government. However, there is a professional with a similar name associated with the Delhi government who is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and who left a high-paying job in an MNC to work for the Delhi government and serve the people of Delhi. All of this only goes to show the BJP’s frustration with the growing popularity of the Kejriwal government,” it said.
