Congress will not support Centre's Delhi ordinance in Parliament

The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday said the Congress' "unequivocal opposition" to the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in Delhi was "a positive development".

The AAP is, however, yet to make it clear if it will join a meeting of several opposition parties in Bengaluru beginning Monday. The party had earlier said it would join the meeting only if the Congress extended its support to the AAP in opposing the Delhi ordinance in Parliament.

Earlier in the day, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said the party's stand is clear as it will oppose any such move by the Centre to intervene in states ruled by opposition parties through the governors and has decided to oppose the Delhi ordinance in Parliament whenever a bill comes up.

"We took the decision yesterday. We are not going to support any attempt to sabotage the federal system of the country and to intervene in the state matters through governors. We are not going to support the Delhi ordinance," he told PTI.

Reacting to Venugopal's remarks, AAP MP and national spokesperson Raghav Chadha tweeted, "Congress announces its unequivocal opposition to the Delhi Ordinance. This is a positive development."

With the Congress making its stand clear on the Delhi ordinance issue, Venugopla hoped that the AAP will now participate in the upcoming meeting of the opposition parties in Bengaluru.

In their first meeting in Patna, the opposition parties resolved to take on the BJP unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP-led central government brought the ordinance on the transfer and posting of bureaucrats in Delhi in May, virtually negating a Supreme Court verdict giving the elected government in Delhi the control over services matter.

The ordinance 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.

Transfer and postings of all officers of the Delhi government were under the executive control of the lieutenant governor before the May 11 verdict of the apex court.