"A thousand times better...": Delhi lieutenant governor's surprise for AAP's Atishi

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Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena - for so long at odds with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party - suddenly offered words of praise for Chief Minister Atishi Friday, calling her "a thousands times better" than her predecessor and AAP boss Arvind Kejriwal, with whom the Lieutenant Governor has had several tempestuous run-ins - on legal, administrative, and governance issues - over the past months.


Speaking at the convocation of the Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women this afternoon, Mr Saxena declared himself pleased the current Chief Minister is a woman.


"... and I can confidently say she is a thousand times better than her predecessor," Mr Saxena said, throwing a glance at the Chief Minister, on stage with him, as he did so.


Atishi was sworn in on September 21 after a brief tussle within the AAP over who would replace Mr Kejriwal. Arvind Kejriwal resigned days earlier - a statement move after securing bail in the controversial and alleged liquor policy scam case and before the next year's election.


Mr Kejriwal declared he would seek a "certificate of honesty" from the people of Delhi.

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Mr Saxena didn't always have kind words for Atishi.


In April, while Mr Kejriwal was in jail, he ripped into her and party colleague Saurabh Bhardwaj for "a lack of seriousness" when summoned to his office to discuss "routine works of governance".

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Also on the LG's firing list on that occasion was former Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot; Mr Gahlot, who was on the shortlist to succeed Mr Kejriwal, has since jumped to the BJP.

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As recently as last month the Lieutenant-Governor slammed Mr Kejriwal for not implementing the centre's flagship health insurance scheme - the Ayushman Bharat - during his term as Chief Minister.


Dismissing the Delhi government's own scheme - which he called "a web of illusion" - Mr Saxena also accused Mr Kejriwal of suppressing reports by central auditors.


The two also traded multiple barbs while Mr Kejriwal was jailed on corruption charges connected to the liquor policy case; this included battles over the nomination of aldermen to the Municipal Corporation and claims Mr Saxena was "stalling" the budget for no reason.


In fact, Mr Kejriwal's government has long argued the BJP, in power at the centre, has a stranglehold on Delhi via the Lieutenant Governor, who was nominated by that party.

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The AAP is widely seen as facing as stern test to win a third consecutive Assembly election, particularly after persistent attacks from the BJP (and on-paper allies Congress) over issues like the air quality crisis and the 'sheeshmahal' controversy swirling around the ex-Chief Minister.

With input from PTI

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