25 May,2023 05:43 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal along with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and other AAP leaders met NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, in Mumbai. Pic/AAP Mumbai
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said that if all non-BJP parties come together, then the Centre's ordinance on control of services in Delhi can be defeated in the Rajya Sabha.
Talking to reporters after meeting Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar in Mumbai, Arvind Kejriwal said the NCP will support the AAP in Rajya Sabha as no party enjoys majority.
He said the ordinance affected the federal structure of the country.
"If people vote for a non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, then BJP resorts to three methods (to topple that government) - purchase MLAs from the ruling side, show fear of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or promulgate an ordinance to ensure the elected government is not able to function," Kejriwal alleged.
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He pointed out that elected governments not being allowed to work by using ordinances is not good for the country.
"If all non-BJP parties unite, the Centre's ordinance can be defeated in the Rajya Sabha. It is not a matter of politics but that of the country and all parties who love the country should come together," the AAP national convenor said.
Describing Pawar as one of the tallest leaders in the country, Kejriwal thanked him for backing AAP's fight against Centre's ordinance.
Speaking on the occasion, Pawar said the ordinance spells a threat for parliamentary democracy.
"It is our duty to ensure that all non-BJP parties support Arvind Kejriwal. Now is time to fight for survival of parliamentary democracy," the NCP supremo said.
Kejriwal said that if the Bharatiya Janata Party fails to pass the Bill in Rajya Sabha, it will imply that the "Narendra Modi government will not be able to return to power at the Centre after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls."
"Sharad Pawar ji has assured us that NCP will support us in defeating the Bill in Rajya Sabha. We are trying to gather support from all non-BJP parties against the Centre's ordinance on control of administrative services in the national capital," Kejriwal said at a joint press conference with Pawar.
He thanked Pawar for his assurance to support the AAP in the Upper House and said that it is a fight for the "federal structure" of the country.
"I thank Sharad Pawar that he has assured his support that when the Bill comes to Rajya Sabha, they will not let the Bill pass in the House. If all non-BJP parties come together in Rajya Sabha, this Bill can be failed. This is not a fight for Delhi, it is a fight for the federal structure," he said.
"If the BJP is not able to pass the Bill in Rajya Sabha, then one should consider it a semi-final of 2024. The message will be that the Modi government is not returning in 2024," the Delhi Chief Minister added.
Kejriwal, who is on a two-day visit to Mumbai, was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during his meeting with Pawar at Y B Chavan Centre in south Mumbai. The top AAP leader on Wednesday met former Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray at the latter's Bandra residence to seek support over the ordinance issue.
On Tuesday, Kejriwal and Mann met their West Bengal peer Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata as part of their nationwide tour to garner support for the AAP's fight against the Centre's ordinance.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
