In a sudden and major political development, which has taken many by surprise, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung submitted his resignation to the Government of India on Thursday.
With this, the power tussle between Jung and the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi seems to have come to an end.
This comes close to the heels of the friction between the AAP government and Jung regarding removal of Swati Maliwal as the chief of Delhi’s Women Commission.
Jung in his resignation letter said, “I thank the people of Delhi for all their support and affection, especially during the one year’s President Rule in Delhi,” when he got “unstinted support” from them and which in turn “helped run the administration in Delhi smoothly and effortlessly.”
He also thanked the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi for his association in the last two years.
Jung would be returning back to his ‘first love’, which is, academics, according to media reports.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, "Sh Jung's resignation is a surprise to me. My best wishes in all his future endeavours."
Sh Jung's resignation is a surprise to me. My best wishes in all his future endeavours.
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 22, 2016
Reacting to this, RP Singh of the BJP told News 18, “Arvind Kejriwal has been personally attacking Jung for the past few years. I still don’t believe that was the reason. He must have resigned to return to academics.”
The constant tussle between Delhi government and the Lt Governor’s office has been a matter of national headlines for a couple of years now.
The AAP government has always accused Jung of being a stooge of the ruling BJP government at the centre.
Jung still had 1.5 years left in his stint.
A former IAS officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre and a former Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi, Jung gave no reason for his sudden decision to step down.
Jung's tenure was marked by a sharp escalation in tensions between his office, which reported to the central government, and the AAP government of Kejriwal.
What began as a turf war turned into an often nasty confrontation between Jung and Kejriwal over who is the boss in Delhi, which, although a state, does not enjoy parity with other states.
The central government, through the Lt Governor, controls Delhi Police, law and order and issues related to land in the capital.
The recurring Jung-Kejriwal battle was decided in favour of the former on August 4 by the Delhi High Court. The AAP government has moved the Supreme Court, where the matter is yet to be decided.
Here is the press release