Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena’s letter to Chief Minister Atishi on Monday triggered a political row after he criticised Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly calling Atishi a “temporary CM”.

“It was not only an insult to you, but also to your appointee, the president of India, and to me as her representative,” ANI quoted Saxena as saying in his New Year letter.

He alleged that Kejriwal had called Atishi a “temporary, kaam chalau [passable] CM”.

Kejriwal’s comments showed a “condemnable disregard for democratic principles and values enshrined in the Constitution”, the lieutenant governor said.

Saxena did not mention where and when had Kejriwal made the alleged comments.

“As a lieutenant governor, I am concerned about this level of public discourse and at the same time, I am hurt by the conversation of presenting the full-time chief minister of my government as a temporary chief minister,” Saxena said in his letter.

He also compared the two Aam Aadmi Party leaders’ tenures as chief minister and said “it is for the first time that I have seen someone occupying the post work during my 2.5-year tenure”.

Referring to the schemes proposed for women and senior citizens by the ruling party in the national capital ahead of the Assembly elections, Saxena said that the unauthorised announcements have hurt the office of the chief minister.

In response, Atishi asked Saxena to let go of “petty politics”. She said it was “evident that the office of the lieutenant governor is now working [as] a proxy of the Bharatiya Janata Party”.

In reference to the allegation that Kejriwal had called her a “temporary CM”, Atishi said “it is a testimony to the democratic principles of our country that all elected members of the government are in fact temporary and remain in office only till the duration of their term”.

“I am amused by you taking offence at any statement highlighting this reality of an active democracy,” the chief minister said in her letter shared by the Aam Aadmi Party on social media.

“Obstruction of the ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’ is a clear testimony of politicisation of the lieutenant governor’s office,” she said. “As a woman, I am personally anguished by your recent steps to malign and create hurdles for this scheme.”

Kejriwal was the “tallest leader” in Delhi who “managed to do more work in his tenure of nine and a half years, that collectively done by the previous governments”, Atishi added.

The elections in Delhi are expected to take place in or before February. The Election Commission has not announced the schedule yet.