KCR backs Kejriwal on Delhi ordinance row; to miss Parliament inauguration

Hyderabad: Ahead of the grand inauguration of the new Parliament building in New Delhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28 May, three chief ministers — Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao — confirmed they would not attend the ceremony.

On 27 May, Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Singh reached Hyderabad and met KCR at Pragathi Bhavan.

KCR and Bhagwant Singh came out in support of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who announced to fight against the Centre’s ordinance nullifying the SC order on Delhi service matters.

Mr. Kejriwal is on a nationwide tour visiting different states and meeting leaders of various political parties, seeking their support in the Rajya Sabha to defeat the Bill when it is moved in the Upper House of the Parliament. He is seeking support from the Opposition parties against the ordinance brought by the Central government on the transfers and postings of bureaucrats in the national capital.

Addressing the media, KCR said, “Aam Aadmi Party won the Delhi municipal elections, but the Delhi Mayor has been tortured by the BJP. The Modi government has insulted the people of Delhi who voted for Aam Aadmi Party.”

KCR opined that Narendra Modi’s journey is towards Emergency. "We demand the Prime Minister withdraw the ordinance. I support Kejriwal and I am confident that the whole system will support him. This is a challenge to democracy,” he said. He has strongly criticised the Union government for taking away the powers of the Delhi government and throttling popular mandate. KCR called it an Emergency situation.

Thanking KCR for his support, Mr. Kejriwal said the ordinance is an insult to the people of Delhi. “When the PM doesn’t respect the Supreme Court, how can the country seek justice? The BJP government has snatched away powers in Delhi. They create havoc in non-BJP states and topple the government or release probe agencies. I seek support from all leaders against the Centre’s ordinance,” he said.

Speaking to the media, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said, “Niti Aayog is only for optics. These meetings are ad hoc. None of the funds we had requested earlier have been released. There are so many flowers, but the BJP government only wants the lotus to bloom.”

The three chief ministers skipped NITI Aayog’s eighth Governing Council meeting which began in Delhi on Saturday under the chairmanship of Narendra Modi. The meet will deliberate on several issues including, health, skill development, women empowerment, and infrastructure development with an aim to make India a developed nation by 2047.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan also stayed away from the meeting.