A day after resigning from the post, Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Najeeb Jung met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his constant critic, on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Capital remained abuzz with speculations regarding the reason behind Jung’s sudden resignation. “There are rumours that Jung is vying for the post of the Vice-President, and that he proposed to resign from the post of LG twice in the last one year,” a top BJP leader said.
Besides, rumours about candidates for the LG’s post also kept floating. The noise about former IAS officer Anil Baijal, who served as the Union Home Secretary, grew stronger on Thursday, with his name making rounds in the government offices, including Raj Niwas and Delhi Secretariat.
The name of former 1979-batch IAS officer KJ Alphons Kannanthanam, who is a member of the BJP National Executive, also emerged on Thursday. Kannanthanam has previously served in Delhi as the Chief of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). Sources claimed that he even met PM Modi on Friday.
Though what transpired between Jung and Modi remained unclear, reports suggested that the PM wanted Jung to continue as Delhi LG and also appreciated the good work that he did during his tenure.
On Thursday, Jung had issued an official statement announcing his resignation. In the statement, he thanked Modi, Kejriwal, and the people of Delhi for their support over the last three years.
The former 1973-batch IAS official became the Delhi LG after replacing Tajender Khanna in July 2013. He was initially posted in Madhya Pradesh and was last associated with Jamia Millia Islamia, where he remained the Vice-Chancellor from 2009 to 2013.
Interestingly, Jung also met Kejriwal on Friday. Sources said the LG had invited the CM for breakfast, and that he emphasised that he had resigned for “personal” reasons.
Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had also met Jung, who conveyed that he wanted to resign for a while to spend more time with his family and to focus on academics.
For the last two years, Jung has constantly been in news for his confrontations with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the Chief Minister. Jung had even formed a committee, chaired by VK Shunglu, to examine 400 files on decisions taken by the Kejriwal regime.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Najeeb Jung")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}