The Congress seems to have overcome its mental block and crossed the Rubicon. It has decided to support Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in stalling the Centre's Ordinance on transfers and postings in Delhi in the monsoon session of Parliament, which begins in July.
The Ordinance rides roughshod over a recent order of the Supreme Court -- which said the elected government is the boss of Delhi and will take final call on IAS officers in areas that fall within its legislative ambit.
Congress's Decision to Support Kejriwal
It is seldom that there is a meeting ground between the AAP and the Congress, though Arvind Kejriwal did go out of the way to condemn Rahul Gandhi’s conviction by a Surat court.
For Congress, even though it may not be yet time for political convergence, it is surely game for quid pro quo.
Supreme Court's Order on Delhi's Governance
The Congress had earlier welcomed the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court on the LG’s powers, which had underscored that the power of administration must rest on the elected arm. If the officers stop reporting to the ministers or do not abide by their directions, the principle of collective responsibility is affected, said the bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud.
Kejriwal's Outreach to Opposition Parties
Keen to stall the Ordinance in the Rajya Sabha, Kejriwal has gone into a huge outreach to convince Opposition parties of its reasoning, starting with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
He is expected to meet Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party Chief Sharad Pawar on May 24 and 25 in Mumbai to discuss the plan to block the Ordinance in the Rajya Sabha.
Nitish Kumar Met Kharge, Gandhi
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi here on Monday, the second such meeting in the last one and a half months amid efforts to strengthen Opposition unity to take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections.
Kumar met Kharge and Gandhi at the Congress chief's 10, Rajaji Marg, residence here. Sources said during the meeting the roadmap for strengthening Opposition unity and a possible meeting of Opposition leaders in Patna was discussed.
