Congress Supports AAP’s Fight Against Delhi Ordinance Ahead Of Big Opposition Meet

In a big boost to Opposition unity bid, the Congress on Sunday came out in support of the Aam Aadmi Party's campaign against the contentious central order that wrested back control of Delhi's bureaucracy.

"I think they (AAP) are going to join the meeting tomorrow. As for the ordinance (on control of services in Delhi), our stand is very clear. We are not going to support it," Congress general secretary KC Venugopal told news agency PTI.

The statement comes days after the AAP said it won't join any opposition meeting till the Congress backs its stand on the Delhi ordinance.

Reacting to the development, AAP leader Raghav Chadha tweeted, "Congress announces its unequivocal opposition to the Delhi Ordinance. This is a positive development."

Leaders of 24 non-BJP parties have been invited for the meeting of opposition grouping on June 17 and 18, aimed at taking on the saffron party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

This meeting convened by the Congress, is the second such unity meeting of opposition parties, the first edition in Bihar's Patna on June 23, saw the participation of 15 parties.

Since then, a split in Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and his nephew Ajit Pawar's switch to the Eknath Shinde-BJP coalition in Maharashtra is seen to have dampened the opposition unity bid somewhat.

This will be the first time that the top leadership of the TMC, Congress and Left parties will meet after a violence-marred rural poll battle in West Bengal.

The controversial Delhi ordinance by central government on May 19 promulgated the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, to create an authority for transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi.

The AAP government has termed it as a "deception" with the Supreme Court verdict on control of services.