NEW DELHI: The row over the Centre’s ordinance to bypass a Supreme Court order that gave the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government in Delhi control over bureaucrats seems headed for a political show of strength.
On Sunday, JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called on the AAP leader to extend support in his fight against the Centre on the issue. “How can the Centre take away the state’s rights, which were given by the SC? We will unite as many Opposition parties as possible and run a nationwide campaign against the ordinance,” Nitish said.
RJD leader and Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav was also present at the meeting, held at Kejriwal’s residence. The development comes a day after the big show of Opposition unity at the swearing-in ceremony of the new Congress government in Karnataka.
Having secured Nitish’s support, Kejriwal will now meet other Opposition leaders such as West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on May 23, Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray on May 24 and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on May 25.
Kejriwal said the ordinance can be defeated in the Rajya Sabha if all Opposition parties vote against it. “If it is defeated, it will be a semi-final of the 2024 elections. A message will be sent out to the country that BJP will not be able to return in 2024,” he said.
The AAP government and the Centre are locked in a fight for control of Delhi’s administrative services. The Centre had promulgated the ordinance on Friday to create a National Capital Civil Service Authority for the transfer and posting of bureaucrats in Delhi.
While several opposition parties have termed the ordinance an attack on the federal structure of the country, Nitish, who spearheads the Opposition unity project, said he will try to unite all parties against the Centre’s move to curtail the power of states.
When asked if the Congress will join the campaign against the ordinance, Kumar said he will speak to the grand old party’s leadership on the issue.