AAP sees ‘conspiracy’ as Delhi officers strike

Suspension of 2 babus invalid: Centre

A large number of Delhi government bureaucrats went on mass leave on Thursday in protest over the suspension of two Danics cadre officers, a step that was declared null and void by the Centre, setting the stage for yet another major confrontation between the two sides as the AAP called the protest part of a “conspiracy” to ensure that the “odd-even” traffic plan in the city from January 1 “fails”.

A defiant chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, issuing a stern warning to the agitating officers, said his government was exploring “all options” against those who had gone on leave. Union minister of state Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, on the other hand, hit out at the AAP government, saying it feels that being on a “collision” course was its “unique selling proposition (USP)”. MoS home Kiren Rijiju said just like human beings who can’t live without oxygen, the city government can’t live without controversy. Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta went a step further, demanding the CM’s resignation due to the “collapse” of the city administration.

Of 200-odd Danics (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service) officers, a highly-placed source said 95 per cent of them went on a day-long leave to register their protest over the suspension of two colleagues. Only 55 per cent of IAS officers are said to have abstained from work till 2 pm.

Chief secretary K.K. Sharma, president of the IAS Officers’ Association, was seen in his office at 10 am. The source said the government was trying to create a division between the IAS and Danics officers. “That is why the government is now trying to promote officers of the DASS cadre,” he added. In its bid to gain the confidence of DASS cadre officers, whose 22,000-odd strength forms the backbone of the Delhi administration, the Arvind Kejriwal Cabinet on Thursday agreed in principle to hike their pay slab from '5,400 to '8,700. The decision to raise the DASS cadre’s salary structure lies, however, with the Centre.

The faceoff between officers and the AAP government began after Delhi home minister Satyendra Jain ordered the suspension of special secretaries Yashpal Garg and Subhash Chandra for not following the Cabinet decision to issue orders on the revision of payscales of public prosecutors The officers refused to sign the orders as the prior permission of lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung had not been taken in this regard.

Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “firing” at the AAP government through Mr Jung and these officers, Mr Kejriwal said: “Danics and IAS associations in Delhi have become the full-fledged B-teams of the BJP.” In a series of tweets, he also said the time had come to replace bureaucrats with professionals and sector experts to infuse fresh energy and ideas in governance. “People will be very happy if these officers go on long leave. Govt is ready to give paid leave. Governance will become honest, smooth and efficient,” the CM said.

Reacting to this, MoS home Kiren Rijiju said that the city government could not live without controversy. “Every day through the media, they keep creating a controversy. Like human beings can’t live without oxygen, the AAP government can’t live without controversy.” Mr Rijiju said voters in Delhi had given the AAP a mandate in the last Assembly elections. “During the election, they spoke about big things but when they got the mandate to rule, they don’t want to follow the system.”

Mr Rijju said the AAP government has lowered the level of governance and they should know they would have to work through officers. “You cannot humiliate your own officers,” he said, referring to Mr Kejriwal’s allegation that the Danics and IAS associations in Delhi had become the BJP’s full-fledged “B teams”.

Hours after the Union home ministry declared the punitive action against the two officials null and void, deputy CM Manish Sisodia also questioned the timing of the protest by the bureaucrats, calling it part of a conspiracy to ensure the failure of the “odd-even” traffic scheme being rolled out on New Year’s Day. “Why have they decided to go on mass leave just a day before the start of the odd-even scheme It is part of a conspiracy so that we fail to implement the scheme... The PMO and the L-G’s office were in direct contact with Danics officers when they were holding a meeting yesterday,” Mr Sisodia alleged.

The Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service officers are selected through exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission and the Union home ministry is their cadre-controlling authority.

“The home ministry has received a reference from the lieutenant-governor of Delhi on the suspension of two Danics officers. It declares the suspension order is ‘non est’ (mistake or does not exist) and the two officers should be considered deemed to be on duty,” an MHA spokesman said earlier.

Reacting to the protest, Mr Satyendra Jain said the Danics and IAS officers do not have the right to go on strike as it is against their service rules. The Delhi home minister also said the Delhi government was ready to grant all officers leave for a month or 15 days if they applied for it.

“The two officers were suspended for not implementing a Cabinet decision on December 28. If they had any problem with my order, they should have approached the chief minister and not the L-G. The L-G has already asked officers to defy the government decision,” Mr Jain alleged. He also claimed the BJP was provoking Delhi government officers to go on strike.

Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the AAP felt that being on a “collision” course was its USP. “The Aam Aadmi Party has become a collision party. If you look from the beginning — collision with the Centre, collision with the L-G, collision with the police commissioner and collision with officers. They believe their USP is being on a collision course,” Mr Naqvi told reporters.