Big Boost For Kejriwal Against Centre As Congress Extends Support To AAP

The Congress party's support for Aam Aadmi Party comes after Nitish Kumar met Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi. Kumar held a meeting with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal yesterday.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ruled Delhi government has been at constant odds against the Centre over administrative control issues including the transfer and posting of Group A officers. In a boost for AAP, the Congress party has said that it will oppose the move in the Rajya Sabha. The AAP already has support from Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal and Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United. In fact, Nitish Kumar is spearheading the opposition unity efforts and played a crucial role in getting Congress on board to support the AAP cause. 

Congress Backs AAP

Kumar, who met Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday and extended his support to AAP against the Centre's ordinance, held a meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi today to bolster the opposition unity. Speaking after the meeting, Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said that Congress will back AAP in the monsoon session of Parliament against the Centre's ordinance on transfers and postings in Delhi. Other opposition parties including Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, MK Stalin's DMK and Left parties are likely to back the AAP against the Centre's ordinance. If the opposition parties unite to defeat the government's proposed bill, it will be a booster shot for opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Congress party's support for AAP may prove to be a thaw in the two parties' sour relationship as they have been at odds most of the time. Notably, while the Congress had invited most of the regional parties to the Karnataka swearing-in ceremony, the AAP and the Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao's Bharat Rashtra Samithi were few parties who were not invited to the grand event. 

Opposition Meet Soon

Venugopal also said that a 'vast majority' of non-BJP parties will soon meet to discuss their way forward. He said that the venue and date of the expected meeting will be announced in a day or two. After meeting Kumar, Kharge tweeted, "The country will be united now. The strength of democracy is our message. Rahul Gandhi and myself discussed the current political situation with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today and took forward the process of giving a new direction to the country." Nitish Kumar has recently met several opposition leaders in a bid to bring them together on one platform with the Congress to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. 

What Is The Ordinance Row?

The AAP and the Centre have been at the loggerheads over the administrative control of the national capital. While the Supreme Court recently handed over the control of services, excluding those related to police, public order and land, to the elected government in Delhi, the Centre promulgated an ordinance to create a National Capital Civil Service Authority to oversee the transfer of IAS and DANICS cadre officers and disciplinary proceedings against them.

What Is National Capital Civil Service Authority?

The National Capital Civil Service Authority will be a committee of three members that will decide the transfer, posting and other related issues by a majority vote. The authority comprises the chief minister of the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi as its chairperson, along with chief secretary and principal secretary, home, who will be the member secretary to the authority.

"Notwithstanding anything contained in any law for the time being in force, the National Capital Civil Service Authority shall have the responsibility to recommend the transfers and postings of all the Group 'A' officers and officers of DANICS serving in the affairs of the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi but not officers serving in connection with any subject matter," read the ordinance.