Kejirwal mounts pressure on Congress to clear its stand on ordinance row ahead of Patna meet

In a bid to put pressure on the Congress, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said he expects other parties to ask the grand old party to clear its stand on the Narendra Modi government's ordinance that takes control of bureaucracy in the national capital at a meeting of joint Opposition in Patna later this week.

Kejriwal told a press conference that he would explain to other party leaders why the ordinance is against the states' interest and that it can be brought in even states.

“I will take the Constitution with me and explain to them that the ordinance is not only for Delhi but can be brought in states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and West Bengal. Such an ordinance can be brought on subjects like education and electricity that are in the concurrent list,” he said.

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“I hope the parties will ask the Congress to clear its stand on the issue. The ordinance will be the first issue that will be discussed at the meeting,” Kejriwal said, as Congress is yet to announce its support to AAP on the issue.

The AAP chief has so far met top leaders of at least 10 parties, including Trinamool Congress, JD(U), RJD, NCP and Shiv Sena (UBT), seeking their support to defeat a bill to replace the ordinance when it comes in Rajya Sabha.

Kejriwal has sought appointment with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former chief Rahul Gandhi but no meeting has taken place, as Congress units in Delhi and Punjab are up in arms against any support for AAP.

Opposition sources have said that the meeting in Patna would not be "confrontationist". DH on Monday reported that the meeting is unlikely to see contentious issues like the Delhi ordinance marring the bonhomie among parties.

At the press meet, Kejriwal also said that the AAP government would challenge the ordinance in the Supreme Court, alleging that the union government wants to control his government through IAS officers.

"An officer has been given charge above every minister. The Centre wants to control the Delhi government through officers. The ordinance has placed the Delhi Chief Secretary above the Cabinet. Officers have the power to reject the decisions taken by ministers," he alleged.

Separately, Kejriwal also wrote to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena proposing a meeting of his ministers with him to discuss law and order in the capital where he claimed there is an "alarming surge" in cases.

"The seriousness of the situation can be gauged from the heart-rending fact that four murders have taken place during the last 24 hours in different parts of Delhi. As a responsible citizen and representative of over 2 crore Delhi residents, I express my willingness to extend full cooperation in ensuring the rule of law and safeguard the interests of the people in the NCT of Delhi," he said in the letter.