Public Administration Mains 2018 : Model Question and Answer - 96

(Public Administration Paper II / Chapter: Union Government and Administration)

(Current Based) Question: The Delhi CM and LG saga is institutionalizing a new culture of institutional subversion and pettiness at highest level. Comment. (15 Marks/200 Words)

Model Answer:

The political and constitutional crisis over the powers of the Delhi government is politics of recrimination and subversion institutions. One can concede that because of Delhi’s special status, there might be areas of ambiguity, in the allocation of powers between the Lt Governor and the chief minister. But whatever those grey areas, under no circumstances can the allocation of power be interpreted to mean that the Lt Governor can act like a tyrannical Viceroy, subverting an elected government at every step.

The aftermath, instead of resolving the issue, creates an even deeper crisis. The Delhi government claims that IAS is not carrying out its duties; it may not be on strike but is striking against it. This formal breakdown of relationship between the bureaucracy and the elected government is another first; whatever the circumstances, this was a solvable problem. The chief minister, meanwhile, goes on dharna in the LG’s office and does not get so much as a hearing.

Except for Delhi HC, almost all checks and balances that were supposed to operate, turned out to be weak: From the Supreme Court to the Election Commission, from the President of India to the CBI. Institutional design matters in democracy. (Total Words- 199)

Valuable inputs from The Indian Express Coulmn: ‘A Crisis in Plain Sight' by Pratap Bhanu Mehta

(Linkages: Delhi Government and LG, Institutional Subversion and Constitutional Crisis, High Court and Checks & Balances)

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