Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung stepped down from his position on Thursday. His tenure was marked with several controversies starting from his closeness from the Centre and the differences with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
But even before he became the Lt Guv, he has had a controversial past. He became a Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer in 1973 and worked in the Union Ministry of Petroleum as a Joint Secretary. After quitting IAS, he joined Reliance Industries. He is also credited for playing a part in the privatisation of the public sector Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s Panna-Mukta oilfield.
Also read: Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung resigns
Turf war with Arvind Kejriwal: The battle between Jung and Kejriwal has not been a secret. There has been a constant war over who holds more power over Delhi – the LG or the CM. There have been multiple instances where Kejriwal has levelled allegations against Kejriwal and even went on to say that the Jung has “perennial hatred” towards the Delhi CM.
Working at the behest of the Centre: On several occasions, he has been accused by the Aam Aadmi Party government of working at the instructions of Narendra Modi-led Central government. AAP had alleged Delhi was being used by the Modi-led government as a “testing ground to see how Emergency could be proclaimed in the country.”
Connection with Reliance: The AAP government accused Jung of not disclosing its closeness with the Mukesh Ambani-headed Reliance Industries. The AAP had stated that Jung had worked with the Ambanis in the past. “He had worked with the Ambanis in London, in India, and was part of a think tank. Why were these facts not posted on his official website,” AAP leader Ashutosh said.
Allegations of working as a Congress stooge: The AAP had alleged that Jung was an ‘agent’ of the Congress. AAP made the allegations after a confidential letter over the Jan Lokpal Bill between Jung and the Solicitor General was leaked. In 2009, Jung had offered his residence in Old Delhi to Congress leader Kapil Sibal to run as his election campaign office.
Appointment of bureaucrats: Kejriwal and Jung had a major scuffle over the appointment and transfer of bureaucrats in Delhi. Jung had written to Kejriwal saying that the “power to appoint and to transfer, from steno to IAS officers, is with the lieutenant-governor”.
