India
oi-Prakash KL
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal will be meeting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) Uddhav Thackeray, this week.
As the Delhi government is locked in a bitter tussle with the Centre over the control of administrative services, he is seeking the support of the leaders on the issue.
“Day after tomorrow (Tuesday), I have a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata at 3 pm. After that, I will meet every party’s president to seek their formal support for defeating the bill when it comes in Rajya Sabha,” Kejriwal said in a press conference.
He is likely to meet Thackeray and Pawar on May 25.
On Friday, the Centre promulgated an ordinance to create a National Capital Civil Service Authority for transfer of IAS and DANICS cadre officers and disciplinary proceedings against them.
The ordinance states 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”. It came a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services, excluding those related to police, public order and land, to the elected government in Delhi.
An ordinance has to be ratified by Parliament within six months. For which, the Centre will have to bring a bill for its passage in both Houses of Parliament.
Earlier in the day, the Delhi CM met his Bihar counterpart in the national capital. “Today, in a meeting with Nitish Ji, he said that he stands with the people of Delhi, on the issue of the Centre bringing an ordinance negating SC order in favour of Delhi. In case the Centre brings this ordinance as a bill, if all non-BJP parties come together it can be defeated in Rajya Sabha. If such a thing happens, it can send a message that the BJP govt will be out in 2024,” said Kejriwal in a joint briefing with Kumar.
Kumar stated that he would urge other opposition parties also to come in support of Kejriwal in the matter.
Kejriwal said if the bill is defeated in Rajya Sabha, it will send out the message that the BJP will lose the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
“It will be the semi-final of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” the AAP national convenor told reporters.
The AAP national convenor told reporters that he would personally reach out to the chiefs of all the opposition parties, seeking their support in the matter.
