Hope Cong will clear stand on Delhi services ordinance at June 23 Oppn meet, says Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday expressed hope that the Congress will clear its stand on the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in the national capital at the June 23 meeting of non-BJP parties in Patna. The Friday meeting of opposition parties has been called by Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar to chalk out a joint strategy to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

At a press conference here, Kejriwal, who is also the AAP national convener, said he will speak to the other leaders in the meeting about how such an ordinance can be brought for even full-fledged states.

He said he will "explain the dangers of this ordinance to each and every party present over there".


"I will take the Constitution of India with me and explain how this ordinance makes a mockery of it. Just because this has only been promulgated in Delhi, which is often considered a "half-state", it does not mean that it cannot be promulgated in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Maharashtra.

"By promulgating such ordinances, the Centre can end up dissolving all the matters that come within the concurrent list of the Constitution of India like education, electricity," he asserted.

"I hope that the Congress will make its stand clear, as all the other political parties in that meeting will ask the Congress about its stand. The ordinance will be the first issue that will be discussed at the meeting," Kejriwal said.

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

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 May 11 verdict of the apex court.

Following the ordinance, Kejriwal 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.