"Beyond shocking": Delhi LG Office after Atishi announces CM Kejriwal will inaugurate GGSIPU campus

New Delhi [India], June 7 : Amid the ongoing tussle between the Delhi Government and the Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, a fresh row has erupted after Education Minister Atishi Marlena announced that CM Arvind Kejriwal would be inaugurating the East Campus of the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU).

The LG office note stated that it was beyond shocking that the Education Minister Atishi Marlena claimed and announced in an open press conference that CM Arvind Kejriwal would be inaugurating the East Campus of the GGSIPU, knowing fully well that the same is to be done by the Lt. Governor.

The office note further said that CM Arvind Kejriwal himself was aware of the fact that LG Saxena is scheduled to inaugurate the campus. In fact, they were also aware that they were supposed to be present at the function as Guest of Honour and Distinguished Guest, as desired by LG, and had also consented to it. In fact, the Chief Minister had asked for the date to be shifted from 23.05.2023 to accommodate his schedule and accordingly, the date had been re-scheduled to 08.06.2023.

According to LG Office, "The fact that the Lt. Governor will be inaugurating the campus was put on file way back in March 2023 when the University wrote to the LG Secretariat requesting for LG's consent to inaugurate the campus, and the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was also fully aware of this. Moreover, even on the day when Atishi made this claim in a press conference, i.e. 06.06.2023, earlier during the day, the VC of GGSIPU had announced on stage at the Convocation of GGSIPU, where Atishi was present as a Guest of Honour, that the East Campus of the University was scheduled to be inaugurated by the Lt. Governor on 08.06.2023."

The Registrar and VC of the GGSIPU wrote to the LG Secretariat on file on 17.03.2023, requesting the LG to inaugurate the East Campus in the third week of April, 2023.

"The LG Secretariat wrote back to the VC conveying LG's consent on 27.04.2023 and scheduled the inauguration on 23.05.2023. In the same note, it was conveyed that the LG had desired that CM and Minister (Education) may also be invited to the inauguration. Subsequently, GGSIPU wrote back to LG Secretariat conveying that the above had been conveyed to the Chief Minister and Minister (Education) and that the CM had asked for the program to be re-scheduled because of pre-scheduled engagements. The CM office had written, "Due to pre-scheduled engagements, it may not be possible for Hon'ble CM to participate on the proposed date of inauguration (23.05.2023). So, the date of inauguration may be re-scheduled preferably in the first week of June 2023, as per convenience", stated the LG office in its release.

The LG note also said that the LG Secretariat accordingly, conceding to CM's request, conveyed LG's consent to inaugurate the East Campus of GGSIPU on 08.06.2023. What however is not surprising is the blatant attempt at credit grabbing that non-exists, on the part of the AAP Government, which has become a habit as far as they are concerned.

The East Campus of GGSIPU was conceptualized way back in 2013 when AAP was nowhere in power and a seed sum of Rs 41 crore was earmarked for it.

The foundation stone of the campus was laid by the then Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani on 14.12.2014 and even after the AAP Government came to power in February 2015, no concrete movement happened.

It took the GGSIPU itself to fund the building of the Campus at a cost of Rs 387 crore of which the Government share was only Rs 41 crore. Even these Rs 41 crore were paid in three installments, the last of which was released just two days back i.e. on 05.06.2023.