Questioning Arvind Kejriwal brought about my removal: L Ramdas

NEW DELHI: Questioning Arvind Kejriwal on his holding both the posts of Chief Minister and AAP's national convener might have led to L Ramdas's removal as internal Lokpal, feels the former party ombudsman.

"It is possible that Arvind Kejriwal did not like questions being asked about his right to hold both the post of chief minister and national convenor. It is possible he did not like me recording in writing criticism about inner-party decision making and democracy," Ramdas told Karan Thapar on his show 'Nothing But the Truth'.

Ramdas said he had raised "relavant" issues and believed that it was his duty as a Lokpal to do so.

The party discontinued his services on March 29. The party was also upset with Ramdas for writing a letter to the members of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) and National Executive (NE) in which he was critical of it. In his letter, he had also noted about two camps emerging within top leadership and had asked the party to consider 'one-man, one-post' arrangement.

Ramdas also said that the voting out of Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from the party's NE was "unconstitutional", but not the sacking from the PAC and party's membership.

WIth reference to his removal, Ramdas, a former naval chief of staff, said he did not expect such treatment as Kejriwal had invited him to become Lokpal in 2012.

He, however, added that despite the termination of his services, he has been in touch with Kejriwal, but admitted that there is a strain in the relationship.

Speaking on the the tug of war between Kejriwal and Lt Governer Najeeb Jung, the former obdusman said the Chief Minister could have treated senior IAS officer Shakuntala Gamlim in a better way, whose appointment as acting chief secretary led to the row. He also said that there was "lack of mutual trust" between the two constitutional bodies in Delhi.

Ramdas, however, refused to take sides in the tug of war and left it on the judiciary to decide on the matter.