New Delhi: The Congress Sunday said it’ll not support the Modi government’s Delhi ordinance on services, but there continues to be an internal tussle on how to approach the Bill when it comes up for vote in the coming session of Parliament.
“We are consistently opposing the attempts of the Union government to sabotage federalism. We are consistently opposing the attitude of the central government to run the opposition states through the governors. Our stand is very clear, we are not going to support the Delhi ordinance,” Congress general secretary (organisation) K. C. Venugopal was quoted in the media as saying Sunday.
The statement came after the party steered clear of mentioning the ordinance while briefing the media about discussions at its parliamentary strategy group meeting a day before.
While the party had earlier hinted at opposing the Bill in principle, its Delhi and Punjab units remained key considerations. At Saturday’s meeting, a section of leaders said a lot depended on how the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is in power in Delhi, conducts itself in Punjab, ThePrint has learnt.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, on its part, announced Sunday that it will take part in a meeting of parties opposed to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre, being held in Bengaluru on 17-18 July. In a similar meeting held in Patna in June, differences had cropped up between the AAP and the Congress mainly on the issue of the Delhi ordinance.
Meanwhile, some party leaders told ThePrint that any stand taken by the Congress against the ordinance would have more to do with opposing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s move, rather than support for AAP.
Addressing the press after the Saturday meeting, Congress general secretary in-charge of communication, Jairam Ramesh, refused to give a clear answer on the Congress’ position on the ordinance, adding that the party will oppose all attacks on constitutional rights and federalism.
“The Congress has always fought against the Modi government’s assaults on the constitutional rights and responsibilities of democratically elected state governments and local bodies. This assault comes directly from the appointees of the Modi government, like governors…We have opposed it in Parliament…There is no question of not opposing it. This is a brazen assault on the Constitution,” he said.
The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 was passed by the Union government in May, days after a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court had noted in a judgment that the Central government’s involvement in the administration of Delhi is limited by the Constitution and any further expansion would be contrary to the constitutional scheme of governance.
The Union government has already sought review of the Constitution bench verdict.
The GNCTD ordinance sets up a three-member authority to be headed by the Delhi chief minister to decide on transfer of and postings of Group-A officers, including civil servants, in Delhi. According to the ordinance, the body, which will also have the Delhi chief secretary and the principal secretary, home department, as members, will take its decisions by majority vote.
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AAP’s ‘vendetta politics’
At the Saturday meeting of the Congress’s parliamentary strategy group, two views emerged on how to deal with the ordinance which negates the Supreme Court order granting the Delhi government authority to transfer and post civil servants in the national capital territory, ThePrint has learnt.
One view suggested that AAP has to stop its “vendetta politics” against the Congress in Punjab. The leaders espousing this view said an intermediary path can be worked out to oppose the BJP and the ordinance, but the party should not be seen to be in support of AAP. Another view suggested that the party abstain from voting and stage a walkout.
“The Delhi government wants services, such as vigilance, to come under it. But in Punjab, they are using the vigilance department to come after our leaders. False cases are being registered against our leaders in the state, including a former deputy chief minister. And now, they want the Congress’ help to gain control of the vigilance department in Delhi,” a senior Congress leader who attended the meeting told ThePrint.
He was referring to ast week’s arrest of party leader and former Punjab deputy chief minister O.P. Soni in a disproportionate assets case. The Punjab government ordered an investigation against Soni in October last year.
The leader also pointed out that there has been a “long history of bad intent” with AAP. “When we were supporting the AAP government in Delhi, they initiated a probe against four sitting Union ministers (of Congress). Many of the leaders at the meeting of the strategy group were a part of that Cabinet,” said the leader.
A second leader present at the meeting reiterated that no one in the Congress was in favour of supporting the party.
“AAP is a party that has come out of an anti-Congress plank. They are unreliable because they attack the Congress. They will expand in places such as Goa and Gujarat and cut the Congress vote,” the leader told ThePrint.
‘Stance against BJP’
According to the first leader quoted above, as far as party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and the high command were concerned, the support to AAP had to be issue-specific in the interest of larger Opposition unity.
“For example, we were against AAP when the controversy regarding the CM’s house came up. The ordinance is an assault on the federal structure. But we have to ensure that our party units in Delhi or Punjab are also not unhappy,” the leader said.
The second leader added: “…in our case, it is not support to AAP but a stance against the BJP’s attack on federalism”.
At an earlier meeting convened by Kharge at the Congress headquarters in May, both Delhi and Punjab units of the party had expressed reluctance to ally with AAP.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)