‘Abusive & patently false,’ says Delhi L-G over AAP minister Saurabh Bharadwaj’s charges; mulls legal action

The Delhi Lieutenant Governor's (L-G) Secretariat on September 4 said it would take legal recourse over the ‘abusive, defamatory and patently false’ language used by Aam Aadmi Party minister Saurabh Bharadwaj criticising L-G VK Saxena for hiring a social media agency.

'This Secretariat has taken grave objection and exception to the statement issued by Minister, GNCTD, Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj in this regard and the language used by him therein. To say the least, his choice of words are abusive, defamatory, misleading and patently false and the Secretariat will take legal recourse in the matter," read the statement issued by L-G Secretariat.

Addressing a press conference on September 3, Bharadwaj referred to a tender posted on the website of the L-G’s office and said about ₹1.5 crore will be spent annually for the promotion of the L-G on social media.

The L-G Secretariat said in a statement that the minister of a government that has spent ₹1900 crore of public money in advertising during 2019-2023 "is laughably atrocious".

The AAP hit back at L-G Saxena, saying it will move the apex court challenging the immunity from prosecution granted to the L-G. “If he continues to misuse his constitutional office for planting false and defamatory stories about the elected ministers of Delhi government,” the party said in a statement.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party alleged that the L-G and his secretariat have started comparing themselves with the elected government or chief minister of Delhi whose budget for publicity and social media is approved by the legislative assembly.

The L-G Secretariat, in its press statement, explained the reasons behind hiring the social media agency, saying the step was needed to take public feedback and counter fake news on important issues, and added it has taken "grave objection and exception" to the statement issued by Bharadwaj.

"To say the least, his choice of words are abusive, defamatory, misleading and patently false and the Secretariat will take legal recourse in the matter," it said.

The L-G Secretariat is in the process of hiring an agency to manage its social media outreach, the tender for which, amounting to ₹1.5 crores annually, has been "transparently" posted on relevant platforms, the L-G statement said.

Explaining the reason behind the hiring social media agency, the L-G Secretariat said it deals with "extremely important" people-oriented subjects like housing, infrastructure development, law and order, security and policing, and projects related to the restoration of heritage, traffic, parking management and pollution mitigation.

All these require public participation and feedback, it said.

The Aam Aadmi Party, in its reaction, said Saxena needs to understand he is not the first L-G of Delhi and none of his predecessors who occupied the post before him, hired "such expensive" social media agency for his "image" and office.

The AAP also alleged that the LG Secretariat has been using "abusive, defamatory, misleading and patently false" words for the AAP government and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Everyone is free to take legal action against others, AAP said and claimed the L-G was able "to plead immunity from prosecution citing his constitutional office" in a case involving Medha Patkar.

"However, we will take up the matter in the top court of the country and challenge his immunity from prosecution, if he continues to misuse his constitutional office for planting false and defamatory stories about the elected ministers of the Delhi government," the party said.

(With PTI inputs)