In a further escalation of war between the Delhi LG and ruling AAP, the office of vice chairman of Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) Jasmine Shah has been sealed on instructions of lieutenant governor VK Saxena.
LG Saxena has asked chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to remove Shah from the post, saying that he is misusing the DDC office for “political purposes”.
The LG also directed CM Kejriwal to restrict Shah from “discharging his duties” as the vice chairman of DDC and from using any “privilege and facilities” associated with its office, “with immediate effect” till a “decision is taken by the CM”.
Dialogue and Development Commission is a premier think-tank of the Delhi government and advises it in finding sustainable, people-centric solutions to the critical development challenges facing Delhi.
Earlier, BJP MP Parvesh Verma and other leaders had raised objections over Shah working as an AAP spokesperson even as he held the post of vice-chairman of the DDC.
According to sources in the LG office, an administrative order was issued by the planning department of the Delhi government and in compliance, the sub-divisional magistrate of Civil Lines sealed the office premises of DDC late Thursday night.
The sources cited above further said that Shah was given two opportunities to reply to the show cause notice issued on October 17 by the director of the planning department but he did not submit his response.
“Instead, he informed that the reply was submitted to the minister of the planning department. The LG office wrote a letter to the CM office on November 4, seeking to know the reply of Jasmine Shah but the CM office till now has not replied to the letter,” said a source.
The source added, “Thereafter, LG Saxena asked to remove him and in the interim and to prevent any further misuse of the office of DDC. Hence, Shah’s office was sealed late Thursday.”