LG chooses Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot, not Atishi, to hoist flag on August 15, AAP agrees | Delhi News

NEW DELHI: A potential row between the elected govt and the lieutenant governor was defused on Tuesday after the former accepted the nomination of home minister Kailash Gahlot to hoist the national flag at the state Independence Day function at Chhatrasal Stadium on Aug 15.
Bypassing the AAP govt’s request to allow education minister Atishi to hoist the Tricolour in the absence of CM Arvind Kejriwal, LG VK Saxena nominated Gahlot, saying Delhi Police was responsible for the ceremonial march-past parade after the hoisting of the national flag and that matters related to police were assigned to the home department under the Allocation of Business Rules, 1993.
Welcoming the LG’s decision, AAP said it honoured the principle of democracy by “choosing an elected representative over an appointed one”.
Earlier in the day, the general administration department (GAD) refused to implement minister Gopal Rai’s direction to let Atishi hoist the flag in the CM’s place, saying it was legally “invalid”. On Aug 6, AAP announced that Kejriwal had written to Saxena requesting him to allow Atishi to hoist the flag. The LG’s office had denied receiving such communication. Later, the superintendent of Tihar Jail, where Kejriwal is incarcerated, informed that the letter wasn’t delivered for violating prison rules.
After meeting Kejriwal in jail on Monday, Rai had directed GAD to arrange for Atishi to hoist the national flag. In response, GAD additional chief secretary quoted provisions of Delhi Prison Rules, 2018, to prove that CM’s desire could not be communicated outside the prison. “Any communication, written or oral, in contravention of the rules quoted above is not legally valid and therefore cannot be acted upon,” the official told the minister, adding that the issue had been brought to the notice of higher authorities and a decision was awaited.
This evoked a sharp reaction from AAP. Senior party functionary and former deputy CM Manish Sisodia described it as “very unfortunate” that the elected govt was being prevented from hoisting the national flag. He alleged that letters from jailed economic offender Sukesh Chandrasekhar reached LG from jail and the latter even acted upon it by ordering inquiries, but the letter of an elected CM was stopped.
Atishi herself likened the development with the British Raj, saying the rights of an elected govt were being violated.
Sources said the LG’s secretariat had sought a clarification from the Union home ministry on Friday over the impasse caused by the “peculiar circumstances of absence of CM” because it had the remit to issue guidelines regarding the celebration of Independence Day at the Centre and the states. Sources said the ministry authorised LG to nominate a minister to hoist the flag.
In a note to chief secretary Naresh Kumar on Tuesday, Ashish Kundra, principal secretary to LG, said. “The lieutenant governor is pleased to nominate minister (Home), GNCTD, Kailash Gahlot to unfurl the national flag at the state-level Independence Day celebrations at Chhatrasal Stadium. Necessary arrangements may be made accordingly.”
AAP, which was demanding flag hoisting by Atishi, accepted the decision. “We welcome the decision to have Delhi’s home minister, Kailash Gahlot, hoisting the national flag on Aug 15. This move honours the principle of democracy by choosing an elected representative over an appointed one, reinforcing the importance of the people’s mandate in our governance,” the party said in a statement.