With the Congress yet to commit its support in opposing the ordinance that clips Delhi government's wings on service matters, Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said he will soon reach out to Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi seeking their party's cooperation in fighting the ruling BJP on this count.
Kejriwal's remarks came after his meeting with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar here, the fifth leader he met in the last five days seeking support in Rajya Sabha to defeat the Bill that will replace the ordinance which negated a Supreme Court verdict that gave the control of bureaucrats in Delhi government to the city dispensation.
The AAP supremo has met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar (JD-U) and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav (RJD) on Sunday while he met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (Trinamool Congress) on Tuesday followed by a meeting with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday.
Asked about the support of Congress, which would be crucial for defeating the Bill in Rajya Sabha where the Opposition can turn the tables, Kejriwal told reporters, "on my return to Delhi, on Friday, I will seek appointment with Kharge and Rahul. I will surely meet them."
"Kejriwal should also meet all non-BJP parties to convince them. It is our responsibility to persuade everyone -- be it Congress or BJD," Pawar said.
Congress has so far not announced support for the fight against the ordinance, saying it will first consult with its state units and other like-minded parties, basically due to a push back by Delhi and Punjab units which are at loggerheads with the AAP.
Senior Congress leader from Delhi, Ajay Maken, is in the forefront in the campaign against supporting AAP, highlighting how the Kejriwal-led party joined hands with the BJP to pass a resolution seeking the withdrawal of Bharat Ratna to Rajiv Gandhi as well as how it is against the Constitutional scheme of things.
The AAP has accused Maken of misleading people of Delhi to side with the BJP with Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj asking Congress not to mislead its leaders.
After the meeting, Kejriwal also said that the BJP is working against the governments of other parties. "If all non-BJP parties unite, the bill can be defeated in the Rajya Sabha as no party enjoys majority in the Upper House of Parliament," he said. "The ordinance has affected the federal structure of the country. Elected governments not being allowed to work by using ordinances is not good for the country," he said.
Pawar said, "there is a crisis in the country and it’s not an issue limited to Delhi. The NCP and the people of Maharashtra will support Kejriwal. We will also talk to other leaders to support Kejriwal. We must focus on bringing all non-BJP parties together."
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