The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will conduct a door-to-door campaign before holding a rally on June 11 at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan to mobilize public opinion against the ordinance issued last week restoring the Union government’s control over “services” in the national capital.
Gopal Rai, AAP ‘s Delhi convener, stated that the campaign will run concurrently with the party’s efforts to defeat the ordinance when it is presented for approval in Rajya Sabha. “The Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] has a majority in the Lok Sabha.” “CM [Arvind] Kejriwal AAP has stated that we will contact all opposition parties to defeat the bill in Rajya Sabha,” he said.
Kejriwal, who met with his Bihar counterpart, Nitish Kumar, on Sunday, claimed that the powers of the elected government had been taken away. He sought non-BJP party unity to prevent parliamentary approval for the ordinance, which was issued after the Supreme Court ruled on May 11 that the Delhi government has control over bureaucrats assigned to departments under its purview.
Ordinances may be issued on any subject over which Parliament has legislative authority. They must receive approval within six weeks of the re-assembly of Parliament.
To stop the BJP-led Union government from undermining democratic institutions and constitutional values, Kumar vowed to support Kejriwal and made a unifying appeal.
Kejriwal, who referred to the conflict in the Rajya Sabha over the ordinance as the “semi-final for the 2024 national elections,” is anticipated to meet with Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal on Tuesday in Kolkata, former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday in Mumbai, and Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar on the following day.
The ordinance was officially enacted by the Union government on Friday, effectively overturning a Supreme Court constitution bench decision that had transferred the Lieutenant Governor’s (LG) control over bureaucrats to the Delhi government. The ordinance also calls for the establishment of the Public Service Commission and the National Capital Civil Service Authority, which will oversee officer transfers and postings.
The ordinance establishes the LG as the final authority, with “sole discretion” in deciding on transfer and posting issues.
The AAP has stated that it will appeal the ordinance to the Supreme Court. The Union government asked the Supreme Court on Sunday to reconsider its May 11 ruling granting the Delhi government control over services. It claimed that the order has the effect of destroying the basic structure of the Constitution and amounts to granting the national capital the status of a full-fledged state.
Rai of AAP stated that their workers will go door to door in the lead-up to the rally to inform people about the ordinance and its implications. He claimed that the “black ordinance” reflects the dictatorial attitude imposed on Delhi. “We appeal to the people of Delhi, regardless of political affiliation.” The right to vote was granted to us by the Constitution, but that right is being revoked. People in the capital must rise because “if democracy is destroyed in Delhi…it will be replicated in other parts of the country in the coming days,” Rai warned.
According to Rai, the constitution bench ruled in favour of the elected government, but its powers have been usurped by the ordinance. “BJP leaders are attempting to defend this black ordinance. The BJP claims that the ordinance was required because Delhi is the country’s capital and hosts embassies as if these are new developments. They don’t even have good justifications for the ordinance.”
According to Rai, the ordinance attempts to reduce the value of votes received to zero. “Ordinance reduced the value of Delhi’s 20 million people.” It effectively means that their votes are not worth the same as those in Uttar Pradesh. They no longer want Delhi to be a half-state, and effectively complete control is being transferred to LG.”
The BJP issued no immediate response. On Sunday, BJP MPs from Delhi argued in favour of the ordinance, claiming that the Union government must play a role in the national capital. They claimed that the AAP led government was attempting to protect itself from corruption allegations by attempting to transfer officials.
