Blow to Kejriwal as appointments of 9 party members working as advisors cancelled

In a blow to the Aam Aadmi Party government, its own general administration department (GAD) on Tuesday cancelled the appointments of nine party members working as advisors and consultants to the Delhi cabinet.

The order issued by GAD cited an April 10 letter from the Union home ministry that said the posts held by the advisors are not in the list of posts approved for the ministers and the chief minister.

The sacked officials include known faces of the AAP government, including Atishi Marlena, who was advisor to deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. Others sacked include advisor to the finance minister Raghav Chaddha and Sisodia’s media advisors Arunoday Prakash and Amardeep Tiwari.

The removal of members like Marlena and Chaddha, who have been AAP spokespersons and figureheads for the party’s campaigns, has come as another setback for chief minister Arvind Kejriwal amid a tussle between his government and the Centre and the Lieutenant Governor.

Sisodia is to give an official reaction on the issue shortly. Delhi government spokespersons said some of the appointees such as Raghav Chaddha had already stepped down from their posts.

The home ministry letter said “no prior approval of the Central government has been taken for creation of said posts on which these persons have been appointed on co-terminus basis, which is a requirement as per MHA’s rules,” the order stated.

It also stated that as per the rules of the home ministry, creation of posts, co-terminus or otherwise, comes under the “services” department, a subject which is under the Central government in Delhi.

“Therefore, creation of posts by Delhi cabinet for accommodating these appointees is void ab-initio, being done by an agency not competent under the law to do so,” the letter said.

Others sacked include Prashant Saxena and Samir Malhotra, who were appointed as consultants in departments like power, home, industries and health. Power and urban development minister, Satyendar Jain’s close aides Rajat Tiwari and Brig. Dinkar Adeeb (retd.) were also removed from their posts. Ram Kumar Jha, advisor (logistics) in the GAD which is under minster Gopal Rai, was also sacked.