The suspense over who will hoist the flag on 15 August in Delhi is now over. Delhi government’s Home Minister Kailash Gehlot has been nominated for this by the Raj Bhavan. Arvind Kejriwal had recommended giving this authority to Atishi. Kejriwal had first written a letter from Tihar regarding this and later the order was issued through Gopal Rai.
According to tradition, the Chief Minister of Delhi hoists the flag at Chhatrashal Stadium. However, this time the Chief Minister of Delhi will not be available to attend the ceremony due to being in jail. Kejriwal had recently written a letter to the LG saying that his Education Minister Atishi should be allowed to hoist the tricolor. But the jail administration did not send the letter to the Raj Bhavan, saying that it was against the rules.
After this, General Administration Department (GAD) Minister Gopal Rai wrote a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary of GAD on Monday saying that he has met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The Chief Minister wants Atishi to hoist the flag in the 15th August ceremony. Delhi Government’s GAD today made it clear that in the absence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Cabinet Minister Atishi cannot hoist the flag on the upcoming Independence Day.
The Additional Chief Secretary of GAD wrote a letter to Gopal Rai saying that Atishi’s instructions to hoist the flag are not legally correct, so action cannot be taken on Atishi’s instructions to hoist the flag. In the morning, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also strongly attacked the LG for not giving permission to Atishi.
