Najeeb Jung meets Modi, says no pressure to quit

New Delhi: A day after he tendered his resignation, Delhi’s lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung on Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and thanked him for his help and cooperation during the past two years. Mr Jung, who spent over an hour in the Prime Minister’s Office, rejected speculations that he had quit as pressure was mounting on him due to his ongoing row over a host of pressing issues with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, with whom he had breakfast in the morning at Raj Niwas. Over the last two years, Mr Kejriwal had time and again taken on the L-G over his perceived closeness to Mr Modi.

Mr Jung, who reached the PMO at about 11.30 am, said there was no politics behind his resignation and that he wanted to quit earlier as well. The outgoing L-G told a news channel: “I had offered to resign as I had been appointed by the previous UPA government, but the PM asked me to carry on. After three years, I requested the PM to relieve me but he asked me to carry on.”

A source said that Mr Jung had on Tuesday again requested the PM that he wanted to quit, as he was keen to write a book and pursue academics. “After he convinced the PM that there was no pressure on him to take this decision, he finally put in his papers.” Earlier in the day, Mr Kejriwal had an hour-long meeting with Mr Jung during which the two reminisced their nearly two-year-long association in governing the city besides discussing other issues. The CM said he was invited by the L-G for breakfast. The two reportedly shared some lighter moments while speaking about the bittersweet times they had in the past. Asked why Mr Jung quit, Mr Kejriwal said, “He resigned due to personal reasons.” Though publicly the CM had made stinging attacks on the L-G on many occasions, both of them are known to share a cordial relationship at the personal level.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who also called on the L-G said,  “We had a very good chat. He shared memories of the last two years and also of his days as a bureaucrat. He said that he was mulling quitting over the last one year.”

Mr Sisodia said that the L-G wanted to spend time with his family and focus more on academics. He said he shared a “good rapport” with the L-G and thanked him for his cooperation especially in areas of education. “We will work for the people if Delhi irrespective of circumstances being easy or tough.”