Atishi likely to get finance portfolio in Cabinet reshuffle

Atishi is likely to become the new Finance Minister with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sending a proposal for a Cabinet reshuffle to Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena, a government source said on Thursday.

Atishi is likely to become the new Finance Minister with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sending a proposal for a Cabinet reshuffle to Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena, a government source said on Thursday.

According to the source, Ms. Atishi is set to get the finance, planning, and revenue portfolios, which are currently held by her Cabinet colleague Kailash Gahlot. He had been given the portfolios of planning and finance following the resignation of former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, who was arrested in connection with the excise policy case.

The proposal has turned into a new flashpoint between the AAP government and the L-G with government sources saying that the file is pending with Mr. Saxena. “The file has been pending with the L-G for four days. [Former] L-G Anil Baijal used to approve such files within half an hour,” the source said.

Though a government spokesperson confirmed this, the L-G House did not officially respond to it. However, officials at L-G House termed it a “blatant lie”. “The file was received at the L-G office on Tuesday. The L-G approved it on Wednesday and sent it back. Ask them why they are peddling plain lies?” an official at L-G House said.

The BJP termed the move “political extortion” and said Mr. Sisodia had “pressured” Mr. Kejriwal into giving “lucrative portfolios to his protégé Atishi”. “Finance, revenue and PWD are the most lucrative departments. Finance was one department through which Mr. Sisodia managed fund collection for AAP and made hay for himself too,” Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said.

He said Mr. Sisodia’s clout in the Kejriwal government had eroded after he was jailed. “With no chance of getting bail, he threatened to turn an approver if the Chief Minister did not hand over his lucrative departments to Ms. Atishi,” Mr. Sachdeva said.