BJP Jabs Congress For Opposing Delhi Ordinance

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday hit back at Congress party for extending support to the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi government over the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in Delhi.

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya claimed that the grand old party has regularly compromised the interest of its state units to keep Rahul Gandhi relevant.

"Delhi Congress had opposed support for AAP. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is standing up against Mamata Banerjee's murderous regime in West Bengal," Amit Malviya tweeted.

"But in both states, central leadership of the Congress has struck a deal with AAP and TMC, with no gain in return," he said.

"Congress has regularly compromised interest of it's state units and reduced itself to a bunch of people running around Rahul Gandhi, to keep him relevant," he added.

The AAP on Sunday announced 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."

The 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.