'Ordinance Is Anti-Democratic': SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav Assures Support To Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been meeting several opposition leaders, met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav amid his tussle with the Centre on Delhi ordinance.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on Wednesday and received an assurance from the Samajwadi Party chief on support against the Centre's ordinance on the control of services. The national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party has been reaching out to leaders of the Opposition 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.

"The ordinance is anti-democratic. I want to assure CM Arvind Kejriwal that Samajwadi Party is with you and will support you," Akhilesh Yadav said.

Kejriwal said the ordinance can be defeated in Rajya Sabha if non-BJP parties unite and it would send a strong message to the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. 

"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," the Delhi CM said.

So far, CM Kejriwal held a meeting with his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, Telangana CM KCR, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav.

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 called a deception with the Supreme Court verdict on control of services.

The ordinance came a week after the top 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.