Babus skipped key meeting, claims AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government submitted a list of important meetings which were skipped by IAS officers in the last three days to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Friday in order to apprise him about the issues which were delayed.

A list of eight such important issues was made relating to various departments like environment, finance, food supplies and education. The revelation by the government will further accelerate the ongoing war between bureaucrats and the AAP government. The officers are not attending any meetings with the AAP Ministers and are having only written communication in order to ensure that no work is hampered.

"These are the important meetings which couldn't take place as the officers refused to come. The purpose of holding a meeting gets defeated," said a senior government official. The top agenda that could not take place was on the issue of ammonia in the water supply by Haryana. The meeting was scheduled on February 20.

"While the Chief Secretary of Haryana reached on time, its counterpart in Delhi skipped the meeting without making alternative arrangements. As result, the water crisis continues to haunt the residents of Delhi," said another government official.

However, senior bureaucrats from the Delhi government had a different stand. Some of them claimed that the Ministers were well informed in advance about the officers not attending the meeting.

"A note was sent to the Minister much in advance. Also, whatever I was supposed to present in the meeting, I had given it in details to the concerned department. So there was no delay in the work," said one of the bureaucrats.

Meanwhile an ex-bureaucrat, who works with the Delhi government, resigned on Friday as he expressed "solidarity" with Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash after the latter was allegedly assaulted by AAP MLAs during a late-night meeting at the CM's residence.

Dhir Jhingran, a retired senior IAS officer who is a member of the Delhi State Advisory Council for Education and a batchmate of Anshu Prakash, wrote his letter of resignation on Tuesday, the day after the alleged assault.

Kejriwal breaks his silence on Twitter

After keeping quiet for three days on the political drama in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal broke his silence on Friday.

Soon after a team of Delhi police reached his residence for collecting evidence related to an alleged assault on Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by AAP MLAs, Kejriwal tweeted saying that investigating agencies should show “equal urgency” to probe the death of CBI judge BH Loya.

“An army of policemen was sent to my residence. The entire CM residence is being searched over allegations of two slaps. But when will Amit Shah be questioned in connection with Judge Loya’s death? (sic)” he asked on Twitter.

Kejriwal has been maintaining silence since the day Prakash went out and filed a police complaint. He instead went to Chennai to support Kamal Haasan on the launch of the latter’s political party. He also posted pictures of himself from the launching ceremony of actor-turned politician Kamal Haasan’s newly formed political outfit held in Chennai on Wednesday, on social networking site Instagram.

On Friday afternoon, Kejriwal attended a rally in Uttam Nagar constituency where he slammed the Center for attacking his government in Delhi.