The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will seek the support of like-minded political parties to counter the BJP-led Central government’s “dictatorial” ordinance on the control of services in Delhi, Punjab Chief Minister and senior AAP leader Bhagwant Mann said on Tuesday.

Talking to newsmen in Chandigarh after flagging off 98 emergency response vehicles for the Punjab Police, Bhagwant Mann accused the Centre of trying to infringe upon the rights of individual states and claimed that by promulgating a “dictatorial” ordinance it wants to supress the duly-elected government in Delhui.

Mann said that AAP will seek support from political parties across the country in a bid to stall the ordinance in the Rajya Sabha.

On Friday, the Central government promulgated an Ordinance to form a National Capital Civil Service Authority to handle the transfers of IAS and DANICS cadre officers and also matters of disciplinary proceedings against them.

The BJP-led Centre’s ordinance essentially circumvented last week’s Supreme Court order which gave the control over services, excluding those related to police, public order, and land, to the elected government in Delhi.

On Monday, the AAP asked all non-BJP parties to unite and help defeat the bill in the Upper House of the Parliament.

Terming it “agni pariksha” (trial by fire), the AAP urged all Opposition parties to come together and to save the country’s democracy and Constitution.

On May 11, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led dispensation, stating that the AAP regime has legislative and executive power over services— including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), except law and order, police and land—and the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) is duty-bound to comply with the elected government’s decision in this matter.

The Delhi government scored a major victory today in its arduous power-struggle with the BJP-ruled Centre as the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led dispensation, stating that the AAP regime has legislative and executive power over services— including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), except law and order, police and land—and the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) is duty-bound to comply with the elected government’s decision in this matter.

In a unanimous verdict, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Apex court which comprises of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud along with Justices MR Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and P S Narasimha, ruled that the Delhi government must have control over services and the Lieutenant Governor is bound by its decision.

The bench observed that the Union Territory of Delhi has ‘sui generis’ (unique) character and has legislative and executive power over services and stated that if a democratically elected government’s responsibility towards the legislature and the electorate becomes diluted if it was denied control over its officers and the power to hold them to account.

With the Opposition objecting to the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled for May 28, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri criticised Congress leaders for raking up the issue and selectively quoting articles in support of its arguments.

The basic grouse of the Congress has been that the new Parliament should have been inaugurated by the President of the country and not the Prime Minister. As per the programme put out by the government, the grand opening will follow the format of the groundbreaking ceremony in 2020 and will have Lok Sabha  Speaker Om Birla apart from PM Modi.

Ahead of the opening, hymn chanting, a havan, and a puja will be performed to commemorate it. The main programme is set to begin at 11.30 am and the rituals from early on. The Opposition has vowed to boycott the ceremony and questioned why the President was not inaugurating the new Parliament building while the Centre races against the clock to finish the preparation.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge claimed in a tweet that it appears the Modi Government has ensured the election of the President of India from Dalit and tribal communities only for electoral reasons. He recalled that former President Ram Nath Kovind had not been invited for the new Parliament foundation-laying ceremony and President Droupadi Murmu has not been invited for the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

The senior Rajya Sabha MP reminded everyone that the President of India is the country’s highest constitutional authority and the Parliament is its highest legislative body. President Murmu is the sole representative of the government, the opposition, and every citizen, he noted.

In his reaction to tweets by Kharge, Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor, Union Minister Puri said the Congress leaders should desist from such behaviour and celebrate the opening of the new Parliament building. He charged that the Congress leaders were unable to appreciate the fact that the country needed a larger Parliament and did nothing to get it done, but now since it was getting done, they were protesting against it.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to meet West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata today.

The meeting will take place at Nabanna, the state secretariat in Kolkata at around 2 pm.

The AAP leader is likely to seek support of Banerjee in his fight against the ordinance, recently moved by the Centre.

The meeting comes just three days after Kejriwal said he would approach all the opposition leaders across the country for their support in his stand against the Centre.

Kejriwal on Saturday during a press conference in Delhi said he he will firmly fight against the Union government’s decision and would hold meetings with the leaders of various opposition parties to ask them for their support and vote against the bill, if introduced by Centre in Rajya Sabha.

The Narendra Modi led Union government on Friday, had moved an Ordinance issued by the President of India to negate the Supreme Court judgement which was passed in favour of the Delhi government giving the power on its hands in matters of transfer and postings of government officials.

Arvind Kejriwal also met his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar, who had flown to Delhi, where he met Kejriwal and extended his support to Kejriwal in his fight.

Kejriwal said he appealed Kumar who is meeting various opposition party leaders, to make his point before the leaders and bring them together in his movement against the ordinance.

Kejriwal earlier said, if all the opposition leaders unite together and defeat this bill in Rajya Sabha then it will be semi-final of 2024 general elections.

Bihar Deputy CM and RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav had also accompanied Kumar to Kejriwal’s residence and Yadav also assured Kejriwal his party’s support in this.

Congress, which despite the talks of opposition unity to fight against the BJP do not appear to be in good terms with the Aam Aadmi Party, on Monday, agreed that the Centre’s step (referring to ordinance) is defying the Supreme Court judgement but they would take a collective decision on whether they should stand with AAP or not.