Samajwadi Party announces support to AAP over Central ordinance

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday announced his party's support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal against the Centre's ordinance on control of services in the national capital after a meeting here with the AAP convener.

Kejriwal was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at the meeting.

"We had discussion with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav...we thank him as he has assured his party's support when the ordinance comes in the Rajya Sabha," Kejriwal told a joint press conference after the meeting.

The SP chief termed the ordinance as "anti-democratic" and said, "My party is with you (Kejriwal)." Kejriwal said that if the ordinance gets defeated in the Rajya Sabha, it will send a "strong message" before the 2024 parliamentary elections.

"If all the anti-BJP parties unite and get the ordinance defeated in the Rajya Sabha, where the BJP is not in majority, it will be a semifinal of the next year's elections and send a strong message to the country," Kejriwal said.

The Aam Aadmi Party chief 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.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have so far extended their support to the AAP.

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin have also supported Kejriwal in the matter.

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 had called 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 top court's May 11 verdict.