The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday accused the BJP-ruled Centre of “actively encouraging” the non-cooperation of officers in the Delhi Government with the local administration of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

While a joint forum of the Delhi government officers on Monday asserted that there will be “no compromise” till the Chief Minister and his deputy Manish Sisodia apologise to Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash, who was allegedly roughed up by AAP legislators on February 19, the party has shown no signs of meeting these demands.

“This is a sinister design to destabilise the AAP government by the BJP-led Centre,” said AAP spokesperson Ashutosh in a signed article posted on a website. He, along with fellow AAP leader Ashish Khetan, met Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik on Monday to demand action on State Minister Imran Hussain’s complaint that he was assaulted by staff of the Delhi Secretariat.

“Now when the MLAs have been arrested, ministers have been assaulted by stenographers and under-secretaries and IAS officers have stopped attending meetings called by ministers and the Chief Minister, it is time to address the structural malaise afflicting Delhi,” Khetan had written in The Indian Express .

Employees defiant

Meanwhile, a joint forum of Delhi Government officials passed a resolution at its meeting on Monday, stating that until Kejriwal and Sisodia provide “a specific written and public apology” and take steps to ensure the personal safety and dignity of officers, they will continue to work with AAP ministers through written communication only.

The resolution claimed that instead of apologising and admitting their mistake, the CM and the Deputy CM are in “denial mode”, which shows that they were a “part of the conspiracy”.

The forum also rejected the mediation of Social Welfare Minister Rajender Pal Gautam to find a solution to the crisis between the AAP dispensation and the bureaucracy.

“The Joint Forum of Delhi Government Employees demands that the prerequisite to any dialogue with the political executive is a specific written and public apology from Hon’ble Chief Minister & Hon’ble Dy. Chief Minister regarding the criminal act of physical assault on the Chief Secretary,” the resolution stated.

Reading out the resolution at a press conference here, Pooja Joshi, member of the forum, said: “Instead of apologising and admitting their mistake of assault on the Chief Secretary at midnight, CM and Dy CM are in denial mode. This shows that they were a part of the conspiracy and since they are specifically identified in the FIR, we appeal to LG and the Commissioner of Police to take action as per law against CM & Dy CM.”

It expressed “deep concern” that not only has the political executive “failed” to condemn or regret the above incident, but also more incidents of public representatives misbehaving with and threatening government servants have taken place in the intervening period.

‘Why is Kejriwal mum?’

The resolution alleged that an open “threat” by an MLA was given in the presence of Kejriwal who has made no statement condemning the same.

In such a situation, communication between the political and permanent executive can only continue through formal written means and no talks are possible. “Therefore, the Joint Forum resolves that all Delhi Government employees will continue to work through formal written means of communication,” the resolution said.

The employees said that they will continue their protest “in the form of [a] five-minute silence at 1.30 pm (lunch time) in all government offices till such time [as] a specific written and public apology is tendered by CM and deputy CM, and steps are taken to ensure the personal safety and dignity of officers while they discharge their official duties,” resolution stated.

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