NEW DELHI: Delhi lieutenant governor V K Saxena on Friday praised chief minister Atishi, calling her “a thousand times better” than her predecessor, Arvind Kejriwal.
“I am happy today that Delhi’s CM is a woman, and I can confidently say that she is a thousand times better than her predecessor,” Saxena said, glancing at Atishi, who was present on the dais.
The remark was made during the seventh convocation ceremony of the Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women, where Saxena and Atishi both addressed the students.
During his speech to the graduating students, Saxena outlined four guiding principles for success: personal responsibility, responsibility toward family, commitment to society and nation-building.
“The fourth responsibility is to prove yourself as women who have broken the glass ceiling of gender and stand on par with others in all fields,” he said.
The praise for Atishi comes amidst a backdrop of political friction between the AAP government and LG Saxena, particularly on issues of governance and control over Delhi’s bureaucracy.
Kejriwal had resigned as chief minister in September, stating he would only reclaim the position after receiving a “certificate of honesty” from the people of Delhi, following allegations of corruption.
Subsequently, Kejriwal proposed Atishi’s name for the role, which was unanimously accepted by AAP’s legislature party.
This comes after earlier this week, Saxena accused Kejriwal of depriving Delhi’s residents of the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme due to his alleged fear that its implementation would undermine his claims about Delhi’s healthcare model.
Saxena said that the scheme, which has benefitted millions nationwide, was approved by Delhi’s then-health minister in 2018 but was stalled by Kejriwal. According to Saxena, Kejriwal resisted the scheme because he wanted credit for any welfare initiative associated with his administration.