NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, JUNE 1
In a show of solidarity of opposition parties, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met his Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin in Chennai on Thursday to seek support for the Aam Aadmi Party’s fight against the Centre’s ordinance on control of services in the national capital. AAP leader and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann was also present at the meeting.
- Kejriwal, who has been on a nation-wide tour to garner the support of the opposition parties, said he has sought an appointment with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi
- Arvind Kejriwal is a good friend. Modi-led BJP government is pressuring Delhi UT and the AAP government there, by using Lt Governor: Stalin
“We discussed the Centre’s ordinance against the Delhi government. It is undemocratic and unconstitutional. CM Stalin has assured that DMK will stand by AAP and the people of Delhi,” Kejriwal said at a joint press conference after the meeting.
Hon'ble Delhi CM Thiru @ArvindKejriwal and Hon'ble Punjab CM Thiru @BhagwantMann met me at my residence to seek DMK's support against the GNCTD ordinance.
DMK has always been opposing any move that undermines federalism and erodes states' autonomy. DMK will never remain a mute… pic.twitter.com/Lti7WGLY0Q
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) June 1, 2023
Kejriwal, who has been on a nation-wide tour to garner the support of the opposition parties, said he has sought an appointment with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi, and expressed hope that the grand old party will extend its support to his government.
Stalin said the DMK will strongly oppose the ordinance and urged other opposition parties, too, to support Kejriwal over the issue.
“Arvind Kejriwal is a good friend. Modi-led BJP government is pressuring Delhi UT and the AAP government there, by using Lt Governor,” he said.
Kejirwal has already met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao over the last few weeks. He has also met CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had earlier met Kejriwal in Delhi and assured JD(U)’s support in the AAP’s power tussle with Centre.
The Centre is likely to bring a bill in the monsoon session of parliament to ratify the ordinance which the AAP termed a deception with the Supreme Court verdict on control of services. The party feels that the bill can be defeated in Rajya Sabha with the support of opposition parties and that it will send a strong message to the Modi government ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The ordinance, which came a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services in Delhi excluding police, public order and land to the elected government, seeks to set up a National Capital Civil Service Authority for transfer of and disciplinary proceedings against Group-A officers from the DANICS cadre.
