The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has threatened to skip the Opposition parties meeting, which is scheduled to be held on June 23 in Patna, if Congress doesn't join the protest against the Centre's ordinance. "If Congress won’t assure support against Centre’s ordinance in the Patna opposition meeting, then Aam Aadmi Party to walk out of the meeting," said AAP sources.
Kejriwal has been meeting heads of different political parties, especially non-NDA allies in order to gather support to counter Centre's ordinance on Delhi services.
Discuss Centre's ordinance on June 23 meet
Earlier on June 20, Kejriwal in a letter to opposition parties urged them to discuss the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in the national capital at the June 23 meeting of non-BJP parties in Patna. He also said that similar ordinances can be brought for other states too, asserting that the ordinance in Delhi was just an experiment.
Congress unlikely to support Kejriwal
However, the Congress is unlikely to support CM Kejriwal-led AAP government in Delhi against Centre's ordinance over transfer-postings of officers in the national capital. Congress leaders from Delhi and Punjab met the party leadership in separate meetings and suggested them not to support the Aam Aadmi Party on the Delhi Services Ordinance issue, sources said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had convened a meeting of leaders from both states on seeking their opinion on the matter. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi was also present during the meetings.
The sources said a majority of the leaders told the leadership to have no truck with Arvind Kejriwal, calling him a "B-team" of the BJP and claiming he harmed the Congress' interests not only in Delhi and Punjab but other states as well.
Sources said the meeting comes in the wake of Kejriwal requesting a meeting with Kharge and Gandhi to seek their support against an Ordinance brought by the Centre which effectively nullified a Supreme Court order that gave to the Delhi government the power of transfer bureaucrats in the city.
What is the centre's ordinance?
The ordinance was issued on May 19, days after a Supreme Court verdict gave the Delhi government control over bureaucrats assigned to departments under its purview. The BJP-ruled Centre has brought an ordinance notifying rules for the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) regarding the ‘transfer-posting, vigilance and other incidental matters' in Delhi.
According to the ordinance, the Centre has constituted a ‘National Capital Civil Services Authority’ in Delhi. This comprises of Delhi CM, Chief Secretary and Home Secretary of Delhi government, who will now decide on the transfer and posting of Group 'A' officers and DANICS officers serving in the Delhi government.
It strengthened the position of the Lieutenant Governor, allowing him to act in 'sole discretion' in deciding matters related to the transfer and posting of bureaucrats. The ordinance said that "there shall be an authority to be known as the National Capital Civil Service Authority to exercise the powers conferred on, and discharge the functions assigned to it".
The apex court had earlier upheld the primacy of Delhi's elected government in this regard, except for matters relating to law and order and land. Notably, any ordinance needs to be passed by Parliament within six weeks of its re-assembly, or it lapses.
Opposition plan to defeat BJP
The opposition has plans to put forward one common candidate to defeat the BJP to upstage them from power at the Centre, but some have expressed reservations over such a proposal as some parties have aspirations to contest the maximum number of seats.
The Congress also is not inclined to restrict itself to around 200 seats and wants to contest more seats, claiming that it is a national player unlike many regional outfits and has a presence across the country. It has also contended that it is the only party that can directly take on the BJP due to its national footprint. The Congress' contention has got a boost after the Karnataka win where it emphatically beat BJP in a direct contest.
The Janata Dal (U), Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress are in a coalition government in Bihar and the three parties have been in talks to bring other opposition parties together on a common platform in their fight against the BJP. Kharge had earlier spoken to several opposition leaders including M K Stalin and Uddhav Thackeray, in an attempt to forge unity among like-minded parties to take on the BJP.
