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Rift in Delhi Cabinet over power crisis

Sujay Mehdudia

Ministers resent `targeting' by loyalist MLAs

NEW DELHI: Not only have cracks emerged within the Delhi Congress but a rift has also developed in the Delhi Cabinet over "handling" of the power crisis by a team of senior bureaucrats who failed to read the popular sentiments. Strong resentment also prevails among the Ministers over their "deliberate targeting" by a section of loyalist MLAs under official patronage.

Political observers are of the view that recent crisis within the party and the confrontation with the Government had brought to the fore the sharp differences within the Delhi Cabinet. The Ministers have been critical of the manner in which the Chief Minister handled the issue.

Ms. Dikshit reportedly reprimanding the Finance Minister, A.K. Walia, and Power Minister, Haroon Yusuf, for attending the meeting of senior party leaders on August 31 at the DPCC office has further widened the gulf within the Cabinet. "The Principal Secretary (Power) should be the one facing Ms. Dikshit's ire. He has failed to ensure efficient functioning of the power discoms despite repeatedly reviewing their working. The Chief Minister continues with the unusual arrangement of the Chief Secretary also being the Principal Secretary,'' a senior Minister added.

A number of Ministers admitted that they were hardly consulted on the issue and how to handle the crisis. It was clearly the bureaucrats who were calling the shots and they landed the party and Government in a mess. The popular upsurge of Residents' Welfare Associations (RWAs) was termed as politically motivated by these bureaucrats. The people's movement by RWA groups was labelled as a BJP inspired agenda. "The Chief Minister was not being fed correct information. If now the Government has ordered the audit of accounts of the private discoms, then what were the Government nominees doing when these accounts were finalised and approved at the officials meetings. The Delhi Government is 49 per cent stakeholder in the private discoms," another official stated.

On the other hand, the deliberate targeting of some Ministers by the loyalist legislators has also resulted in creating bad blood within the Cabinet. There is a growing feeling among the Ministers that these MLAs have Ms. Dikshit's backing and are hitting out at Ministers as part of a bigger design.

"Any poor reflection on the Ministers will automatically reflect poorly on the Government and its image. Ms. Dikshit has to regain confidence of her Ministerial colleagues who are now wary of discussing anything political with her," another Minister stated.

The Ministers are also sore over the fact that ever since the formation of this Government for the second time, Ms.Dikshit and the Chief Secretary have hardly sought any feedback from the Ministers on their departments. No Minister is consulted before or after the transfer of an official indicating marginalisation of the entire Cabinet and lack of confidence of Ms. Dikshit in her colleagues.

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