New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said that his party will take a decision on supporting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) against the Centre's ordinance on control of administrative services in the national capital before the commencement of the Parliament session.
The remarks by Kharge came after the AAP, led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday issued an ultimatum to the grand-old party that if the latter doesn't support it against the Centre's ordinance, AAP will skip the opposition meeting which is scheduled to take place in Patna in Bihar. The meeting has been conveyed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
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"We all want to fight together against the BJP and our agenda is to remove the BJP government," Kharge said here before he left for Patna to attend the meeting of Opposition parties. "We will take a decision on this (on supporting AAP against the Centre's ordinance) before the Parliament session," added 80-year-old Kharge.
Meanwhile, AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar, said, "an agreement has been reached between Rahul Gandhi and the BJP and the grand old party is standing with BJP on this illegal ordinance." "Why is Congress taking so long to clarify its stand against this unconstitutional ordinance? The Constitution is being snatched away by this unconstitutional ordinance. The party should explain its stand," Kakkar added.
Earlier Kejriwal had penned an open letter to the opposition leaders ahead of the crucial meeting. He had asserted that the Congress would have to clear its stand on the Ordinance in front of everyone. The Centre had on May 19 promulgated the ordinance to create an authority for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi, which the AAP government had called a deception with the Supreme Court verdict on control of services.
The ordinance came a week after the apex court handed over the control of services in Delhi, excluding police, public order and land, to the elected government. It 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. Since May 23, Kejriwal has been meeting leaders of various opposition parties seeking their support against the Ordinance.
