Video: AAP Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj In On-Camera Spat With Delhi L-G VK Saxena Over ‘Delayed’ Flood Response

Bhardwaj claimed that despite reaching out to the officers, asking them to deploy NDRF teams to fix the damaged water regulator that caused flooding in the ITO area on Thursday night

New Delhi: Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) VK Saxena and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj got into an on-camera argument with the latter accusing the centre of delayed response to the flood-like situation in the national capital.

Bhardwaj, the Delhi Health Minister, interrupted Saxena while he was addressing reporters on the flood situation in the city. Saurabh Bhardwaj said that on Wednesday night, he had urged Divisional Commissioner, Ashwani Kumar to call in the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for assisting in the repair of the damaged drain regulator that led to floodwaters inundating the ITO intersection and Rajghat on Friday. However, his request was ignored, he claimed.

“I am thankful that the NDRF has arrived now, but it would have been better if they had come last night,” Bhardwaj said as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP Minister Atishi Marlena looked on.

कल रात यहां आपातकालीन स्थिति थी इसलिए मैंने कल रात 11:09 पर अश्विनी जी को ग्रुप में व्हाट्स एप किया NDRF की टीम भेज दीजिये लेकिन नहीं भेजी गई।

अगर कल रात ही एनडीआरएफ की टीम भेज दी जाती तो इतनी दिक्कतें नहीं आती। pic.twitter.com/dpiRUJcZMr

— Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) July 14, 2023

In the presence of the L-G, Bhardwaj claimed that despite reaching out to the officers, asking them to deploy NDRF teams to fix the damaged water regulator that caused flooding in the ITO area on Thursday night, “there was no response from them.”

“We wrote to the chief secretary on WhatsApp group last night to call NDRF else water might enter sensitive areas of Delhi… But, our messages were ignored,” the Delhi minister claimed.

In response, the L-G said, “This is the time for teamwork, not blaming each other. I could say a lot of things too, but it’s not necessary at the moment.”

Speaking about the alleged delay in NDRF deployment, Bhardwaj claimed that despite repeated requests to Divisional Commissioner Ashwani Kumar on Thursday night, NDRF teams were not deployed.

“Ashwani Kumar is the Divisional Commissioner and NDRF was not called at night even after repeated requests from a minister. Will they do anything because of the ordinance?” he asked.

No immediate response was available from the divisional commissioner on allegations levelled by Bhardwaj.

The AAP government in Delhi has been at loggerheads with the L-G over multiple issues, especially about the control of services in the national capital.

AAP has blamed the delayed response to the Centre’s Delhi ordinance, claiming that after the ordinance, the officers only “obey” the L-G and ignore elected representatives.

“After the ordinance, the officers come under the L-G and now they obey the L-G only. Had it been any other state, these officers would have been sacked and put in jail for disobeying the orders of the government and putting people’s lives in danger,” AAP said.

Responding to the allegations, L-G Saxena slammed Bhardwaj for his “immature, uninformed and politically motivated behaviour,” India Today reported, citing sources within the L-G Secretariat. Saxena said Bhardwaj “mischievously raked up” the ordinance issue to “prejudice the people” and rather than levelling allegations, he should “take his responsibility as a minister seriously.”

On May 19, the Centre had promulgated the ordinance to create an authority for the transfer and posting of IAS and DANICS officers in Delhi, with the AAP government calling the move a circumvention of the Supreme Court verdict on control of services.

(With PTI inputs)