New Delhi: A day after he resigned, the central government looked for a successor to Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung who yesterday said he had offered to quit twice earlier but was told to carry on until Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally gave him the "go ahead" two days ago.
Jung spoke to news channels after meeting Modi and said there was no politics behind his sudden move, dismissing speculation that he was under pressure to exit.
"In 2014, when Modi was sworn in, I met him and requested him that since I was a Congress appointee, I would like to resign. The Prime Minister said no, please continue," Jung told India Today TV.
He said he repeated his offer to resign in July this year when his turf war with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the administration of the national capital was at its peak. The matter was settled in August by the Delhi High Court that ruled the Lt Governor is the administrative head of the National Capital Territory. The matter is now in the Supreme Court.
"This July when I finished three years in office, I called the Prime Minister again (and) expressed my desire to leave," Jung said. "The Prime Minister again asked me to continue."
This time, he insisted on resigning -- on personal grounds. "Two days back, I spoke to the Prime Minister and expressed my desire yet again. This time the Prime Minister told me to go ahead. I resigned," he said. The government was yet to accept his resignation and find a replacement, a Home Ministry official said.
Those being considered to replace Jung include former Home Secretaries Anil Baijal, G K Pillai and former Delhi Police chief B S Bassi, who too had a running fued with Kejriwal.
Earlier, Chief Minister Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia met Jung separately.
