Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s visit to Singapore in the first week of August to participate in a global event is in doubt in the absence of approval from the lieutenant governor, sources privy to the matter said on Friday.
They said the file was sent to LG VK Saxena on June 7, but had not yet come back to the government. Earlier this month, Kejriwal said he had accepted an invitation of the high commissioner of Singapore, Simon Wong, to attend the World Cities Summit on August 2-3.
As per the central rules, any politician, minister or chief minister has to take a political clearance from the external affairs ministry to talk about the government policies or vision at any forum abroad. In Delhi, such a file is routed through the LG’s office. No immediate reaction was available from the LG’s secretariat.
Kejriwal was earlier refused “political clearance” to participate in the C40 Cities Climate Summit in October 2019. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia couldn’t attend the World Education Conference in Moscow in August 2019 and former health minister Satyendar Jain could not address a session on mohalla clinics at the University of Melbourne in November 2018.
The matter, said sources, may trigger a fresh round of tussle between the LG’s office and the elected dispensation. Earlier this week, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia accused Saxena of “bulldozing the law” to favour BJP by giving a nod to the anti-corruption branch to investigate allegations of irregularities in the construction of seven temporary hospitals last year.
Several Aam Aadmi Party MLAs had also accused the LG of “overstepping his authority” and “violating constitutional framework” by calling a meeting of Delhi Jal Board officials earlier this month.
Sources claimed several other files, including those on small issues, were also “stuck” with the LG for many days.
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