Decode Politics: Why a think tank is in the midst of latest row between AAP, LG

In yet another flashpoint between the two power centres that administer the Capital, Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena Thursday dissolved the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDCD), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s flagship think tank and advisory body.

This comes as another blow to the AAP, which is facing a leadership vacuum with both party supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his former second-in-command, Manish Sisodia, in jail.

The DDCD is a policy think tank set up by the Kejriwal government in 2015, after it came to power in Delhi for the first time with a huge majority, on the lines of the Centre’s Planning Commission and NITI Aayog. Seen as an official extension of the “dialogues” with citizens that was part of the AAP’s election game plan, the DDCD was meant to comprise domain experts, and help “consider ideas, identify the best practices and policies from around the world” and translate these into “concrete recommendations” to the Delhi government for “transformative change”.

Over the years, the AAP government has claimed that the think tank played a key role in shaping the “Delhi model of governance”.

Kejriwal served as the think tank’s chairperson. It also comprised a vice-chairperson and other non-official members. Their terms were to coincide with that of the incumbent government and their appointments were made by Kejriwal.

According to the Delhi government, the commission worked on several key AAP government projects over the years.

These include the Delhi’s Rozgar Bazaar portal, a platform bringing together employers and employees that was conceived and created in July 2020 as an emergency response during Covid-19 to help both sides affected by the lockdown; as well as the One