LG Nominates Delhi Home Minister Gahlot For Flag Hoisting, Overrules Atishi’s Request

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, on Tuesday, nominated the capital’s Home Minister Kailash Gahlot to hoist the national flag at the official Independence Day event at Chhatrasaal Stadium, as confirmed by officials at the Raj Niwas.

Earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had requested that Education Minister Atishi be nominated to unfurl the tricolor on August 15 in place of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The decision to choose Gahlot, bypassing several senior government leaders, is expected to spark further friction between the AAP administration and the LG Secretariat.

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“Lieutenant Governor is pleased to nominate Minister (Home), GNCTD, Kailash Gahlot to unfurl the National Flag at the State level Independence Day celebrations at Chhatrasaal Stadium. Necessary arrangements may be made accordingly,” LG’s secretary Ashish Kundra said in a written communication to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi government’s General Administration Department (GAD) declined to implement Minister Gopal Rai’s directive for Education Minister Atishi to hoist the national flag.

The GAD also stated that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, currently in jail on corruption charges, could not authorize Atishi to perform this task on his behalf. The GAD officer noted that the communication from Kejriwal to Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena on August 6 regarding this matter was “not permissible” under prison rules.

After the LG’s office rejected the request for Atishi to hoist the flag, she took a veiled swipe at V.K. Saxena, calling him the “new viceroy” at a press conference.

“Delhi’s elected government is being denied the right to unfurl the national flag … New Viceroy has come and he wants to unfurl the national flag … The Lieutenant Governor wants to unfurl the national flag on Independence Day. It is the right of the elected government to unfurl the national flag,” Atishi said.

Earlier, Kejriwal had written to the Delhi LG, stating that Atishi would hoist the tricolor on his behalf at the Independence Day event. However, the LG’s office denied receiving any such communication from the Chief Minister.

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