“The Congress made it clear on Sunday that it will ‘not support’ the Centre’s ordinance on the control of services in Delhi, a major fillip for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has termed it ‘a positive development’.”
A day before the scheduled meeting of Opposition leaders in Bengaluru, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said, “I think they (AAP) are going to join the meeting tomorrow. As for the ordinance, our stand is very clear. We are not going to support it.” The Congress further affirmed their refusal to endorse any attempt at sabotaging the country’s federal system or intervening in state matters through governors.
Responding to the announcement, AAP MP and national spokesperson Raghav Chadha tweeted, “Congress announces its unequivocal opposition to the Delhi Ordinance. This is a positive development.”
Venugopal expressed hope that the AAP would now participate in the upcoming meeting of opposition parties in Bengaluru. During their initial gathering in Patna on June 23, the opposition parties collectively pledged to unite against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann attended the significant opposition meeting led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. However, AAP leaders were absent from the joint press conference held at the meeting’s conclusion, indicating fissures within the opposition’s unity front.
In AAP’s statement, the party had said that unless the Congress publicly condemns the “black ordinance” and commits to having all 31 of its Rajya Sabha MPs oppose the ordinance, it would pose challenges for the Aam Aadmi Party to engage in future meetings with other like-minded parties where the Congress is involved.
11 Parties Supporting Delhi Ordinance?
The AAP stated that a gathering of like-minded parties took place in Patna, with a total of 15 parties in attendance, out of which 12 hold representation in the Rajya Sabha.
They said that all 11 parties, apart from the Indian National Congress, which are represented in the Rajya Sabha, have unequivocally expressed their opposition to the Black Ordinance and announced their intent to oppose it in the Rajya Sabha.
Kejriwal has been actively engaged in a nationwide campaign, meeting various opposition leaders, heads of opposition parties, as well as chief ministers from states like Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
Up until now, Arvind Kejriwal has garnered support from parties, including TMC, DMK, Shiv Sena (Uddhav), JDU, RJD, JMM, and SP.
SP
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, visited the Samajwadi Party headquarters in Lucknow, where they held a meeting with Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party. Following the meeting, the three leaders conducted a joint press conference, during which Akhilesh Yadav expressed his party’s support for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Yadav firmly stated, “The Delhi (Services) Ordinance is anti-democratic…Samajwadi Party is standing with the AAP in this fight.”
Shiv Sena (UBT)
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray hit out at the Centre saying they (the opposition) are coming together to “save the country and democracy”. Thackeray met Delhi chief minister Kejriwal and assured him of support in Parliament over the ordinance. “I think we should not be called ‘opposition’ parties in fact they (Centre) should be called ‘opposition’ since they are against Democracy and Constitution,” Uddhav Thackeray added.
TMC
Kejriwal successfully obtained the backing of West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee in opposition to the Centre’s introduced ordinance. Assuring her support, Banerjee stated that it would provide an opportunity to “defeat the BJP before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.” She further added, “We support the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in their battle against the central ordinance… I appeal to all parties not to vote for the BJP’s law.”
JDU and RJD
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has assured “complete support” to Kejriwal from JD(U) in the ongoing face-off with the Centre over the control of administrative services. Kumar remarked that the actions of the Centre were “strange” and “baffling.” He questioned how the power of an elected government could be stripped away. The leader of Janata Dal (United) mentioned that Kejriwal is performing commendable work in Delhi, and it is surprising that his government is being hindered from carrying out its tasks. He emphasized the need for all opposition parties in the country to unite, stating, “That’s why we are saying that all (opposition parties) in the country should come together.” Kumar was accompanied by his deputy and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
DMK
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin accused the Centre of creating a crisis in the non-BJP ruled states and said that the ruling DMK would strongly oppose the Central ordinance. The Centre is creating a crisis to the Aam Aadmi Party and is preventing a duly elected government from functioning independently. Despite the Supreme Court verdict in favour of the AAP government, the Centre brought the ordinance. The DMK will strongly oppose it,” Stalin said.
JMM
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha announced support to the AAP in opposing the Centre’s ordinance on control of administrative services in Delhi after a meeting between Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal and his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren in Ranchi.
Delhi Ordinance
In May, the central government led by the BJP introduced an ordinance regarding the transfer and posting of bureaucrats in Delhi, effectively undermining a Supreme Court ruling that granted the elected government in Delhi control over matters related to services. The ordinance aims to establish a National Capital Civil Service Authority to oversee the transfer and disciplinary proceedings of Group-A officers from the DANICS cadre. Prior to the Supreme Court’s verdict on May 11, the transfer and postings of all officers in the Delhi government were under the executive control of the lieutenant governor.