New Delhi | Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken on Tuesday strongly opposed extending any support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the issue of the Centre's ordinance on the administration of services in the national capital.
He said that if all previous Delhi chief ministers could perform their roles without creating any fuss, why was Arvind Kejriwal stirring up chaos? He asked whether it was mere political posturing.
Kejriwal has sought the support of various political parties on the Delhi services issue and on Tuesday met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He also sought Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's support during their meeting earlier this week.
He is appealing to other parties too for support on the issue. The AAP has said that rejecting the proposed legislation to replace the ordinance will be a litmus test for the opposition unity.
Maken, a former Union minister who headed the Delhi Congress earlier, put out a long statement, titled "an examination of reasons to not oppose the ordinance - administrative, political, and legal aspects".
He said the Congress should not oppose the proposed legislation to be brought in Parliament on the Delhi services issue, replacing the ordinance promulgated by the Centre last week.
The ordinance for setting up a National Capital Civil Service Authority for the transfer of IAS and DANICS cadre officers and disciplinary proceedings against them virtually negated the May 11 Supreme Court order that ruled in favour of the AAP government.
Maken said that primarily, cooperative federalism principles don't fit in Delhi's context.
Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa endorsed Maken's viewpoint and said the party high command should not support Kejriwal on the issue as he deserves no sympathy.
"Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal deserve no support or sympathy from the Congress. AAP's Punjab government has launched ruthless witch-hunt against Punjab Congress leaders and workers and has made their lives hell by misusing the police and investigation agencies," he said on Twitter.
"I appeal to Congress high command to consult the leadership of Punjab, HP, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Karnataka before even considering helping AAP. It was instrumental in giving a political edge to BJP in these states. AAP is the B team of BJP and they are two sides of the same coin. Let's not protect a wolf in the sheep's clothing," Bajwa said.
Asked whether the Congress has decided to oppose the proposed legislation, party spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said the party will discuss the matter with its state units in Delhi and Punjab before taking a final call on the issue.
The AAP is in power in Delhi and Punjab.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on Monday said, "The Congress party has not taken any decision on the issue of the Ordinance brought against the SC judgment on the powers of the Government of NCT of Delhi with respect to appointment of officers. It will consult its state units & other like-minded parties on the same." "The party believes in the rule of law and at the same time does not condone unnecessary confrontation, political witch-hunt and campaigns based on lies against political opponents by any political party," Venugopal said on Twitter.
Maken said Kejriwal is now seeking the support of the Congress, but his past political engagements raise some questions.
"His party, along with the BJP, passed a resolution requesting the Union Government to withdraw Bharat Ratna from our beloved Rajiv Ji.
"Moreover, Kejriwal backed the BJP both inside and outside of Parliament on the Jammu & Kashmir issue. This support came when J&K was divided and reduced to a Union territory, leaving its people disenfranchised for five years," he said.
The Congress leader said Kejriwal also supported the BJP during the move to impeach CJI Dipak Mishra on various charges, after the CJI refused to entertain a PIL for investigating the suspicious circumstances around the death of Justice Loya.
Kejriwal was the first to implement the controversial anti-farmer Laws, he charged, adding that his party also opposed the opposition's candidate for the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson and instead supported the BJP-sponsored candidate.
"Kejriwal's support for the BJP in Gujarat, Goa, Himachal, Assam, Uttarakhand, and in the recent Karnataka elections, where he fielded candidates against the Congress party, also begs the question - why only in states where Congress is the primary opposition or ruling party," he said.
"...anyone backing Kejriwal and opposing the ordinance is essentially going against the wisdom and decisions of Pandit (Jawaharlal) Nehru, B R Ambedkar, Sardar Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and P V Narasimha Rao. The key question remains - if all the previous Delhi chief ministers could perform their roles without fuss, why is Kejriwal stirring up chaos now? "Is this mere political posturing? Unfortunately, it's Delhi that bears the brunt of this unrest. In this turmoil, Delhi suffers the most," Maken charged.
He also said Delhi being the national capital, cooperative federalism principles don't fit in this context.
"...none of the prime ministers since independence allowed the elected Delhi government the powers to transfer and post officials," Maken said.
Chandigarh | With the AAP seeking the support of other political parties against the Centre's ordinance on administration of services in Delhi, senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Tuesday said the ruling party in Punjab does not deserve the grand old party's solidarity for "unleashing a witch-hunt campaign" against its leaders and workers in the state.
Bajwa urged the Congress high-command to take this aspect into consideration before taking a decision on extending support to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after the BJP-led Centre promulgated an ordinance on the Delhi services issue.
"In order to strangulate the voice of the main opposition party -- the Congress party -- in Punjab, the AAP government in Punjab stooped to the lowest level and lodged false FIRs against Congress leaders and workers, right from the former chief minister to village sarpanches and panches," Bajwa alleged in a statement here.
"I appeal to the INC high-command to consult the leadership of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Karnataka before even considering helping AAP. It was instrumental in giving a political edge to BJP in these states. AAP is the B-team of BJP and they are two sides of the same coin. Let us not protect a wolf in sheep's clothing," he said.
The AAP deserves no solidarity from his party as it had unleashed "a ruthless witch-hunt campaign against the Congress MLAs, leaders and workers in Punjab and made their lives hell by misusing the police and investigation agencies," Bajwa alleged.
The leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly also wondered that when all previous Delhi chief ministers, including Sheila Dikshit of the Congress, discharged their duties without raising any hue and cry, why is the current chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, "creating a commotion now".
"AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal categorically sided with the BJP when the state of Jammu and Kashmir was dismembered and reduced to Union territories, leaving its people disenfranchised for five years. Why didn't AAP consider it a murder of democracy back then?" Bajwa asked.
"I believe it is a friendly game between team A (BJP) and team B (AAP) and we should let them play," he added.
The AAP is locked in a bitter tussle with the BJP-led Centre since the Union government promulgated an ordinance on Friday to create a National Capital Civil Service Authority, which will handle the transfer of IAS and DANICS-cadre officers and also matters of disciplinary proceedings against them.
The ordinance essentially overturned a Supreme Court order passed last week, giving the control of services, excluding those related to police, public order and land, to the elected government in the national capital.
Kolkata | West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday assured her counterpart from Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, that her party would support him in his fight against the Central ordinance to control appointments and transfer of bureaucrats in the city state.
Kejriwal who had come along with his party comrade and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann as part of a nationwide tour to garner support for his fight against the Centre's ordinance on control of services in Delhi, held a nearly hour-long meeting here with Banerjee at the state secretariat.
Kejriwal told newspersons that a forthcoming vote in Rajya Sabha on a bill to convert the central ordinance into law, will be a “semi-final before the 2024 elections.” He alleged the saffron party “buys MLAs, uses CBI, ED to try to break” opposition governments, besides using Governors to disturb non-BJP governments such as “Bengal and Punjab”.
Banerjee told newspersons, "We support AAP in the fight against the Central ordinance ...Request all parties not to vote for BJP's law (on controlling appointments in Delhi)".
The feisty TMC leader also quipped "The double engine (BJP rule in both state and centre) has become a troubled engine" and added mysteriously, "Its only a matter of six months (that the central government will stay in power) ...But if a miracle occurs, they might have to go before that too." Kejriwal and Mann also turned the impromptu press conference held after the meeting of the two leaders, into an attack on the BJP and central government.
The AAP leader and Delhi chief minister said, "BJP has made a mockery of democracy … where it cannot form a government, it buys MLAs, uses CBI, ED to try to break the government …Governors to disturb non-BJP governments such as Bengal and Punjab".
He went on to predict,"This (contest in the Parliament) will be a semi-final before the 2024 elections.” The bone of contention between the AAP government and the BJP has been the Central government ordinance setting up a National Capital Civil Service Authority which overturned a Supreme Court order last week giving control of services, excluding those related to police, public order and land, to the elected government in Delhi.
The new ordinance takes away these powers from the Delhi state government and gives them to a committee which would be effectively controlled by the Centre.
A central law has to be brought to replace the ordinance and opposition parties are hoping to stall that in the upper house or Rajya Sabha when it comes up for debate.
The AAP has already sought the support of all non-BJP parties saying this is a "time for 'agni pariksha' (trial by fire)" for opposition parties, and that they should come together if they want to save the country's democracy and Constitution.
Kejriwal has earlier met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the ordinance issue and the latter has extended full support to AAP in its tussle with the Centre on the matter.
The AAP chief is also likely to meet Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and NCP leader Sharad Pawar on Wednesday in Mumbai.
The 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, the opposition hopes.
Reacting to Tuesday's developments, the BJP termed Kejriwal's trip to meet his counterpart in Kolkata as "political tourism" of Prime Ministerial aspirants ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
“The political tourism of several Prime Ministerial aspirants from the opposition camp has started ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. But this … will not yield any result, as there is no vacancy for the Prime Minister's post in 2024," BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said.
Reacting to the AAP-TMC leadership meeting, state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, "The AAP and the TMC follow the same policy of trying to weaken the Congress and increase their strength, thus helping the BJP".
Questioning the TMC's "credibility", CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty alleged that the TMC has mostly avoided voting against bills brought by the Modi government.
