Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash has alleged that at least two AAP MLAs physically assaulted him at the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday night. Prakash has alleged that the AAP legislators attacked him when he went to meet Kejriwal to discuss the government’s new initiative to deliver key services at citizens’ doorsteps.
The chief secretary later also met Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to reportedly apprise him about the alleged incident. The IAS officers’ is reportedly demanding a police case against the Chief Minister and the two AAP lawmakers, reported NDTV.
The association’s secretary Manisha Saxena said, “(Anshu Prakash) was called alone for the meeting at midnight. The Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and 10-12 MLAs were present.”
The Chief Minister’s office has denied the allegations and said that the incident never took place. “Delhi CM office strongly denies allegations by the Chief Secretary. There was no incident of assault or attempted assault by any AAP MLAs,” News18 quoted a statement from Kejriwal’s office.
AAP leader Atishi Marlena said, “There was a meeting of MLAs at the CM’s residence. The Chief Secretary refused to answer questions saying that he was answerable only to the LG and not to MLAs and CM. He even used bad language against some MLAs and left without answering any questions. Moreover, it is false information that the meeting and the argument was about TV ads. The entire discussion was on how large number of families were not getting ration.”
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that he was deeply ‘pained’ by Monday night’s development. His tweet read, “I am deeply pained by the happenings involving the Chief Secretary of the Delhi Government. The civil servants should be allowed to work with dignity and without fear.”
In another tweet said, “The MHA has sought a report on the incident from the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. Justice will be done. A delegation of IAS DANICS & Subordinate Services of Delhi Government met me today and apprised me of the prevailing situation.
Meanwhile, Prakash has filed a police complaint on the alleged assault on him.
The Delhi’s AAP government has had a history of not-so-cordial relationship with the bureaucrats. Many AAP leaders and government ministers have alleged in the past that the LG had appointed his loyalists to cause obstruction to the smooth functioning of the government.
The Delhi government and the Centre were at loggerheads over the appointment of its chief secretary in the past. Kejriwal has also accused the central government of usurping the administrative powers of a democratically elected government, on several occasions in the past.
Prakash was appointed the chief secretary in December last year. In May 2015, the then Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung had appointed senior bureaucrat Shakuntala Gamlin as the acting chief secretary after K K Sharma went on leave. Gamlin’s appointment was strongly opposed by the AAP government.
