Centre’s ordinance row: Cong leaders oppose support to AAP

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit dubbed AAP’s and other parties’ efforts as an attempt to weaken Congress.

New Delhi | Updated: May 24, 2023 03:36 AM IST

2 min read

Centre’s ordinance row, Ajay Maken, ordinance oppose, AAP’s “indirect” approach, Arvind Kejriwal on Centre’s ordinance, indian express, indian express news

Former Union Minister Ajay Maken has opposed the idea saying that if the ordinance doesn't pass in the Parliament, Kejriwal “gains a unique privilege previously denied to former CMs Sheila Dikshit, Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma, and Sushma Swaraj”. (Express Photo)

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A resolution passed in the Delhi Assembly that requested the Centre to withdraw Bharat Ratna from former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, failed attempts at alliance, and the AAP’s “indirect” approach are among the reasons that the Delhi unit of the Congress and party leaders are wary of supporting Arvind Kejriwal in the face of the Centre’s ordinance which has taken key powers away from the Delhi Chief Minister.

Former Union Minister Ajay Maken has opposed the idea saying that if the ordinance doesn’t pass in the Parliament, Kejriwal “gains a unique privilege previously denied to former CMs Sheila Dikshit, Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma, and Sushma Swaraj”. He said anyone opposing the ordinance was going against wisdom of Jawaharlal Nehru, BR Ambedkar, Sardar Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Narasimha Rao, all of who agreed that Delhi was not like other states and could not be given similar powers.

Despite the Congress and BJP demanding full statehood in the past — even adding it to the promises in election manifesto — neither has made a move to implement it when they have been in power in the Centre. Delhi, a union territory with a Legislative Assembly, has a special status but not the same powers as a full state.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit dubbed AAP’s and other parties’ efforts as an attempt to weaken Congress. “It is a strange situation where those who lead these parties are in favour of a national alliance against BJP with the small number of seats that they and the AAP have in Parliament. But despite the numbers that Congress has, they are not willing to accept it when it comes to a national umbrella opposition against the BJP,” he told The Indian Express.

AAP said the two leaders did not speak for central leadership of Congress.“How much pull do they have within their own parties? Matter at hand is the attack on democracy. This can’t be reduced to petty bickering and ghosts of past,” said a senior leader.

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