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Kejriwal gets NCP's support in battle with Centre over ordinance
The two leaders met as Kejriwal embarked on a nationwide tour to seek support from the Opposition parties against the Centre's ordinance in Delhi.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar and bagged the party's support against the ordinance brought in by the Centre on the transfers and postings of bureaucrats in the national capital. Addressing a press conference after their meeting in Mumbai, Pawar said that he will also talk to other leaders to support Kejriwal.
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“There is a crisis in the country and it’s not an issue limited to Delhi. NCP and the people of Maharashtra will support Kejriwal. We must focus on bringing all non-BJP parties together,” Sharad Pawar said.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal told the media, “Sharad Pawar ji has assured us that NCP will support us in defeating in Rajya Sabha the bill to replace the Centre's ordinance against the Delhi government. We are trying to gather support from all non-BJP parties.”
The two leaders met as Kejriwal embarked on a nationwide tour to seek support from the Opposition parties against the Centre's ordinance in the Delhi services row. He was accompanied by Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, AAP MP Raghav Chadha, Delhi minister Atishi, and other leaders.
Earlier, Kejriwal met West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai and sought their support.
On May 19, the central government issued an ordinance that strengthened the position of the Lieutenant Governor, allowing him to act in “sole discretion” in deciding matters related to the transfer and posting of bureaucrats. This came just days after a verdict by the Supreme Court upheld the primacy of the city-state’s elected government over bureaucracy.
