Fight against Centre's Delhi ordinance: Kejriwal secures Mamata's support, but bumpy road still ahead

NEW DELHI: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) will support the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in its fight against the Centre's ordinance on control of services in Delhi, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced in Kolkata on Tuesday shortly after meeting her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal.

As part of a nationwide tour to garner support for his fight against the Centre's ordinance, CM Kejriwal along with his party's CM for Punjab Bhagwant Mann met Banerjee in Kolkata. They were accompanied by AAP leaders Raghav Chadha and Atishi Singh.
While Bihar CM Nitish Kumar recently announced his support for Kejriwal in this fight, the Congress has yet to make its stance clear on the matter and said it would consult state units and other like-minded parties.
Kejriwal is scheduled to meet Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai on Wednesday and will later also talk to NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.

Meanwhile, the BJP is busy adding up the numbers to make sure it has enough seats in the Rajya Sabha to get the ordinance passed during the monsoon session.
BJD and Reddy could hold key
The NDA does not have a majority in the Upper House and will be dependent on assistance from Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's YRS Congress and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik's BJD for the passage of the legislation in the monsoon session.
Both leaders have so far resisted efforts to join the anti-BJP bloc.

The NDA currently has a strength of 110 in Rajya Sabha and is 10 short of the majority mark in the House with an effective strength of 238.
Joint press briefing
During the meeting on Tuesday, Mamata and Kejriwal discussed the central ordinance setting up a National Capital Civil Service Authority which essentially overturns a Supreme Court order last week giving control of services, excluding those related to police, public order and land, to the elected government in Delhi.
Later in the day, Banerjee, Kejriwal and Mann held a joint press briefing in which the Bengal CM assured that she will urge other opposition parties to join the fight and not vote in favour of the ordinance.
"The Central government will rule all the states, through Governors, ordinances and letters ... I request all opposition parties that if you are willing to work together, don't let a single vote go to the BJP, I want everyone to vote for non-BJP parties against such an ordinance," said Banerjee.
Centre might change Constitution: Banerjee
She also attacked the BJP-led Centre of making a "mockery of democracy" and accused it of "using the CBI and ED to try and break opposition governments" in the states and using the "Governors to disturb the administration".
"This government has become a government 'of the agency, by the agency and for the agency'. We fear the Central government might change the Constitution, they might change the name of the country ... They don't even respect the Supreme Court verdicts," she added.
Banerjee further alleged that such drastic steps were a sign of desperation and that the "double engine (BJP rule) has become a troubled engine".
Semi-final for 2024: Kejriwal
Thanking Banerjee for her support, Kejriwal said: "I thank Didi (Mamata Banerjee) for assuring that she will support us in the Rajya Sabha (against the Centre's ordinance to create an authority for transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi). I believe if this Bill is stopped in Rajya Sabha, then this will be a semi-final for 2024 (Lok Sabha elections)."
Sources in the CM's secretariat said the two sides had discussed the 2024 national elections and the possibility of forging opposition unity.
Before starting on the journey for Kolkata, Kejriwal had tweeted, "Today, I am starting my journey around the country for the rights of the people of Delhi. The Supreme Court had passed a judgement giving justice to the people of Delhi. The Centre snatched away those rights by bringing the ordinance."

"When this comes in the Rajya Sabha, it has to be ensured that it is not passed. I will meet the leaders of all political parties and ask for support," he added.
The National Capital Civil Service Authority will handle the transfer of IAS and DANICS cadre officers and also matters of disciplinary proceedings against them.
The AAP has already sought support of all non-BJP parties saying this is a "time for agni pariksha" for opposition parties, and that they should come together if they want to save the country's democracy and Constitution.
BJP mocks Kejriwal-Mamata meet
Meanwhile, the BJP called the meeting between Banerjee and Kejriwal in Kolkata "political tourism of Prime Ministerial aspirants ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls".
The party asserted that the dreams of these "PM aspirants" would remain unfulfilled as the BJP will return to power for the third consecutive time next year under the leadership of Narendra Modi.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said the meeting between the two senior leaders to forge unity is a "futile exercise" as efforts to form such an alliance in 2014 and 2019 had failed. "The people of this country would never vote for an unstable and opportunistic alliance over a stable government offered by the BJP," he said.
Policy of weakening Congress: Chowdhury
State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the AAP and the TMC follow the same policy of trying to weaken the Congress and increase their strength, thus helping the BJP. "The electoral battle of the two parties in Goa, Gujarat, Mizoram and Tripura only helped the BJP," claimed Chowdhury.
On Monday, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said the Congress has not taken any decision on the issue of the ordinance.

"We will consult state units and other like-minded parties. The party believes in the rule of law and, at the same time, does not condone unnecessary confrontation, political witch-hunt and campaigns based on lies against political opponents by any political party," said Venugopal.

The sentiment of the Congress high command tallies with the suggestion of the party rank and file.
The point has been strongly made by Delhi Congress leaders Ajay Maken and Sandeep Dikshit in recent days, which explains the announcement about "consulting state units". Crucially, the issue figured in the deliberations between Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, with Rahul Gandhi also present, on Monday.
(With inputs from agencies)
Watch Mamata Banerjee says TMC will oppose Central ordinance against Delhi govt after meeting with AAP leaders