The 1989-batch IAS officer Rajender Kumar is the man who stonewalled Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Cabinet in all the previous power tussles with Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and the Central government, primarily those which were related to the transfers and postings of bureaucrats.
According to sources, S S Yadav, VAT Commissioner in Delhi government who also holds the additional post of secretary to CM may replace Kumar if he is arrested by CBI or faces any such crisis.
“Kumar won the trust of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for finding out the ways to implement the decisions taken by him and his Cabinet,” said a senior Delhi government officer. Kumar emerged as a preferred officer of Kejriwal when he first came to power in 2013. Kejriwal appointed him as secretary to CM and soon he became his most trusted officer.
In his second tenure, Kejriwal appointed him in the same post. In his tussle with the Lieutenant Governor on the issue of transfers and postings, Kumar was handed over the charges of departments like personnel secretary, Home secretary, land and development secretary as interim arrangements. He successfully managed the upper hand of CMO in all those disputes. The second secretary to CM, S S Yadav was the Urban Secretary in the first AAP government. Yadav was appointed CEO of Delhi Jal Board in the present government and then the VAT Commissioner.
The second-most trusted and powerful officer of the Delhi government Chetan V Sanghi is also facing investigation by the Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) headed by Joint Police Commissioner M K Meena.
ACB recently registered an FIR against Sanghi in a case of alleged illegal allotments of industrial plots of Delhi State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC). He presently holds important departments like Public Works Department, Urban Development, Power, and director of local bodies. Sanghi is presently on an eight-day leave and will join office on December 16. Director, Vigilance of Delhi government S K Jain is also in the list of trusted officers for his endeavours to take on M K Meena who was appointed ACB chief by the LG besides defending Delhi government on this front.
V K Jain, Chief Executive Officer of Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) also recently came in the limelight for taking on Indian Railways in the Shakur Basti slum demolition case.