‘Anti-democratic’: Akhilesh Yadav pledges support to AAP over Centre's ordinance

Kejriwal has been reaching out to non-BJP parties to vote against a bill to replace the Union government’s ordinance when it is brought in Parliament.

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday assured his party’s support to Delhi chief minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal against the Centre’s ordinance on the control of services in the national capital.

Akhilesh Yadav National President of Samajwadi Party, Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister and Bhagwant Mann, Chief Minister of Punjab during a press conference at Samajwadi Party office in Lucknow. (Photo by Deepak Gupta Hindustan Times)

Read here: ‘Anti-democratic’: AAP's Arvind Kejriwal gets Akhilesh Yadav's support against Centre's ordinance

The announcement came after a nearly 40-minute meeting with Kejriwal at the SP’s state headquarters in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow.

Terming the ordinance as “anti-democratic”, Yadav said, “My party is with you (Kejriwal)..The intention of ordinance is anti-democratic. I assure that Samajwadi Party will fully support you on the issue.” He was addressing a joint press conference with Kejriwal and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann.

The meeting was part of the Aam Aadmi Party’s efforts to garner support against the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Centre’s ordinance issued on May 19, effectively nullifying a May 11 Supreme Court judgment that granted the control over services in the Capital to the state government except in matters relating to police, public order, and land.

Since then, AAP national convener Kejriwal has been reaching out to leaders of non-BJP parties to vote against a bill to replace the Union government’s ordinance when it is brought in Parliament. Kejriwal has so far met Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Uddhav Thackeray, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar, RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav, JMM leader Hemant Soren, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, and Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao.

The Samajwadi Party has three members in the Rajya Sabha; the BJP has only 93 members in the 238-member Upper House of the Parliament.

“...on this May 11, the SC’s constitutional bench gave its verdict by ‘5-0’ that all powers be there with the elected government. The order was extremely clear and strong... But the Modi government took just eight days to reverse the SC order... on May 19,” Kejriwal said at the press conference.

“Why May 19? Because the govt knew that the SC was going on vacation. But we will indeed go to the SC when it reopens after a month-long vacation... But now when this ordinance comes to Parliament, then in Lok Sabha the BJP has a majority. But in Rajya Sabha, they do not have a majority. Out of 238, only 93 members are from the BJP. So, if all non-BJP join hands, this ordinance can be shot down. If through the Rajya Sabha the ordinance fails to become a bill, then it will send a message countrywide that the Modi government is not coming back,” he said.

Read here: Delhi CM gets Akhilesh’s support against Centre’s ordinance

Delhi education minister Atishi, AAP MP and UP party in-charge Sanjay Singh, SP national general secretary Shivpal Yadav and SP’s chief whip Manoj Pandey were also present at the press conference.

On his part, Mann said: “This fight is not just of Delhi people alone, but also for protecting the rights of 140 crore people of the country... If the BJP fails to form a government in a state, then they make it through by-elections... Or they make government by misusing the institution of the Governor...”