After meeting the Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja to garner support against the Government's measure, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday the Centre's Ordinance on control of services in Delhi will be among the key issues that will come up for discussion at an upcoming meeting of Opposition parties.
The CPI leader extended support to the AAP on the Ordinance issue, and said, “It is not just about the Delhi Government, it can happen to any other Government”.
Addressing a joint Press conference with Raja, Kejriwal said, “The 'Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023' gives bureaucrats the power to overrule decisions made by Ministers, and gives Centre control over bodies like the Delhi Jal Board and Delhi Transport Corporation”.
“If we were to sum up this Ordinance in one line, it would be, “From now on, Arvind Kejriwal will no longer be the CM of Delhi; the new CM of Delhi will be Narendra Modi and he shall take all decisions regarding Delhi Government,” he said.
“Delhi is only their pilot test; if this Ordinance is not defeated, then it will be replicated in every State where a non-BJP government is elected. Today it is Delhi, tomorrow it will be Rajasthan, day after it might be Punjab, Tamil Nadu or Kerala. The democratic rights of the people of Delhi are being trampled upon; people of Delhi deserve to have the right to empower their elected leaders to govern the State without any interference from the Centre,” he said. Kejriwal underscored the BJP's desperation to stifle the governance system, citing their successive defeats in Delhi in Assembly elections and MCD election.
Kejriwal arrived at Ajoy Bhawan, the CPI headquarters in the national capital along with MPs Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh to meet with CPI General Secretary D Raja on Wednesday. “This is my first time visiting the CPI building after becoming the CM. It brought back a lot of memories of the past. I'd also like to thank all the CPI leaders for their warm hospitality,” he said. Extending support to the AAP, Raja said CPI has been demanding complete statehood for Delhi as well as Puducherry.
“What the Union Government has done with regard to the Delhi government is atrocious, and it violates all principles of federal governance in our country. It is in a way undermining the fundamentals of our Constitution. We oppose the ordinance with all might we have at our command. Whenever it comes in Parliament our party will oppose the ordinance,” Raja said.