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AAP's ‘yes’ to Opposition's Bengaluru meet after Congress backs Kejriwal against Centre's ordinance
Raghav Chadha announced that his party will attend the Opposition's Bengaluru meeting on Monday.
Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Sunday announced that his party will attend the Opposition's Bengaluru meeting on Monday and Tuesday, hours after the Congress made it clear that it will not support the Centre's ordinance on control of services in Delhi.
Chadha was speaking to the media after the AAP called a meeting of its Political Affairs Committee (PAC) in the national capital on Sunday to decide whether to participate in the second opposition meeting.
“The Congress party today made its stand clear and said that it will oppose the Delhi ordinance. We welcome the decision… The AAP will join the joint opposition meeting in Bengaluru on July 17-18,” Chadha said.
Besides Chadha, Gopal Rai, and Atishi attended the PAC meeting at the residence of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Earlier on Sunday, Chadha said that the Congress has announced “unequivocal opposition” to the ordinance brought by the central government on control of services.
"Congress announces its unequivocal opposition to the Delhi Ordinance. This is a positive development," he tweeted.
KC Venugopal says Congress's ‘stand is clear’
Chadha's statement came after Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said the party's stand is clear as it will oppose any such move by the Centre to intervene in states ruled by opposition parties through the governors and has decided to oppose the Delhi ordinance in Parliament whenever a bill comes up.
"We are consistently opposing the attempts of the Union government to sabotage federalism. We are consistently opposing the attitude of the central government to run the opposition states through the governors. Our stand is very clear, we are not going to support the Delhi ordinance," he told news agency PTI.
Venugopal said the Congress usually convenes its parliamentary strategy committee meeting just before a session to decide on important matters coming up in Parliament.
"Yesterday, we had a meeting and we already made the decision," he said, when asked whether the Congress will support or oppose the Delhi ordinance.
"Not only the Delhi ordinance, any attempt to sabotage the federal system of the country and intervene in the state matters by using the Governor, we are not going to support. The same way, on the Delhi ordinance also, we are not going to support. It is very clear," he said.
“I think they are going to join the meeting tomorrow. This is our thinking,” The Congress leader had said.
Targeting the Congress, BJP spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said, "Disunited Congress holding fractured 'Opposition meeting' in Bengaluru should first explain differences within Congress".
"On issue of Delhi Service Ordinance: Punjab Congress Mr Pratap Bajwa categorically said 'AAP doesn't deserve Congress Support'. Congress leader Mr Maken said 'Congress should not support AAP'. Today, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal says 'Congress not in favour of Ordinance-support AAP'.
“Political desperation and confusion grips Congress,” Shergill tweeted.
The ordinance 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.
Congress leader Pawan Khera said his party "has always opposed any attempt to attack the federal structure, be it by the Tamil Nadu governor or by any other governor in a state where regional parties or the Congress is in power, as it was done in Bengal. We have always opposed it."
In that manner the Congress party will oppose the ordinance in Delhi, he said.
"We had stated this last month that we would place in public domain our stand on the issue after our Parliamentary strategy group meeting. Our stand is very clear that we will not tolerate any attempt to attack the federal structure and will oppose any such move," he added.
Opposition meet in Bengaluru on July 17-18
The meeting in Bengaluru is scheduled with the purpose of uniting the Opposition to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Top leaders of at least 24 political parties would attend the second Opposition unity meeting being convened by Congress in Bengaluru.
Significantly, a mega opposition meeting was held in Bihar's Patna on June 23. The AAP asked Congress to clear its stand on the centre's ordinance, which was brought by the central government regarding the transfer and posting of group-A officers in Delhi.
