‘Anti-democratic’: AAP's Arvind Kejriwal gets Akhilesh Yadav's support against Centre's ordinance

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav backed the Aam Aadmi Party against the Centre's ordinance on control of services in the national capital after meeting Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in Lucknow on Wednesday. Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann accompanied Kejriwal.

The national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been reaching out to leaders of non-BJP parties to garner their support against the ordinance so that the Centre's bid to replace it through a Bill is defeated when it is brought in Parliament. AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh also accompanied Kejriwal at the meeting.

"I just had a long talk with Akhilesh ji. You know the subject of what we discussed... The people of Delhi did a long struggle... They vote, they elect a government and they expect and hope that the elected government is free," Kejriwal said at a joint press conference with Yadav and Mann.

"In May, by issuing a notification, the Narendra Modi government snatched all our powers. The control that a government has on officers, bureaucracy, but their transfer-posting, disciplinary action on them in case they don't work properly, action against any of the officer if the officer is corrupt, creation of a new post, regularisation of them…all these powers were snatched by the Modi government by issuing a notification," Kejriwal added.

The Centre on May 19 had promulgated the ordinance to create an authority for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi, which the AAP government had called a deception with the Supreme Court verdict on control of services.

“The ordinance is anti-democratic. I want to assure CM Arvind Kejriwal that the Samajwadi Party is with you and will support you,” Yadav said at the press conference.

Ordinance can be defeated in Rajya Sabha: Kejriwal

Kejriwal reiterated that if non-BJP parties come together then the ordinance can be defeated in the Rajya Sabha and it will send a strong message that the Modi government is not coming to power in 2024.

“I thank SP chief Akhilesh Yadav who has assured us that his party will support us in the Rajya Sabha,” the Delhi CM said.

The ordinance 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. It seeks to set up a National Capital Civil Service Authority for the transfer of and disciplinary proceedings against Group-A officers from the DANICS cadre.

Transfer and postings of all officers of the Delhi government were under the executive control of the lieutenant governor before the top court's May 11 verdict.