Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Deputy Tejashwi To Meet Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge Today
Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav will meet with Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge. This comes a day after both Bihar's top leaders paid a visit to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav will meet with Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday (May 22). This comes a day after both Bihar's top leaders paid a visit to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. On Sunday, Kumar met with his Delhi counterpart at the latter's residence and pledged his "complete support" in the AAP government's ongoing battle with the Centre over control of administrative services.
On Friday, the Centre issued an ordinance to establish a National Capital Civil Service Authority for the transfer of IAS and DANICS cadre officers as well as disciplinary proceedings against them.
This came just a week after the Supreme Court gave the elected government in Delhi control of all services except police, public order, and land.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Kejriwal stated that he will personally contact the leaders of all opposition parties to solicit their support in order for any bill introduced by the Centre to replace the ordinance to be defeated in Rajya Sabha.
"I have a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata at 3 PM the day after tomorrow (Tuesday). After that, I will meet with the presidents of each party to seek their formal support for defeating the bill in Rajya Sabha," Kejriwal said.
If the bill is defeated in Rajya Sabha, it will send the message that the BJP will lose the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, according to Kejriwal.
"It will be the semi-final of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," the AAP national convenor told reporters.
The National Capital Civil Service Authority will be chaired by the chief minister of the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, as well as the chief secretary and principal secretary, home, who will serve as the authority's member secretary.
The meeting on Sunday was Kumar and Kejriwal's second in over a month. Kumar had previously met Kejriwal in this city on April 12 as part of his efforts to unite all opposition parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
With Kejriwal's relationship with the Congress strained, Kumar must forge a working relationship between the two, as he sees the grand old party as critical to any Opposition unity bid.
The AAP has grown in Delhi and Punjab by occupying territory that was once largely considered Congress territory. A segment of Congress leaders believes that reclaiming the constituency is critical to the party's revival in these states, and that any compromise on the issue will jeopardise their plans. Kumar has been meeting with regional satraps as part of a unity exercise that has yet to take shape.
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