Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday called on Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow in a move aimed at mobilising support against the Centre’s recent ordinance on the control of services in the national capital. The meeting, which took place in Lucknow, was also attended by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
“The ordinance is anti-democratic. I want to assure CM Arvind Kejriwal that Samajwadi Party is with you and will support you,” Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said addressing a press conference after the meeting.
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Addressing the press conference, Kejriwal said that the defeat of the ordinance in Rajya Sabha can send a strong message that the Narendra Modi government is not coming back to power.
“If non-BJP parties come together then this ordinance can be defeated in Rajya Sabha and it will send a strong message that the Modi govt is not coming to power in 2024. I thank SP chief Akhilesh Yadav who has assured us that his party will support us in Rajya Sabha,” he said.
The engagement between Kejriwal and Yadav holds significant political weight, claimed Sunil Singh Sajan, a prominent Samajwadi Party leader, ahead of the meeting. “It is obvious that a new direction in politics is decided when two big leaders meet,” said Sajan, earlier today highlighting the significance of this rendezvous.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener has been actively reaching out to non-BJP party leaders to garner their support against the controversial ordinance, to prevent its replacement through a Bill in Parliament.
The Centre promulgated the ordinance on May 19, seeking to establish an authority for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi. The move was met with strong opposition from the AAP government, which deemed it a deception in light of the Supreme Court’s verdict on control of services. Just a week prior to the ordinance, the apex court had granted control of services in Delhi, excluding police, public order, and land, to the elected government.
In an attempt to bypass the court’s ruling, the Centre’s ordinance aims to establish the 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 May 11 verdict, the transfer and postings of all officers in the Delhi government were under the executive control of the Lieutenant Governor. The ordinance has stirred significant debate and controversy, with the AAP government and its allies vehemently opposing it.