Delhi CM Kejriwal meets SP chief Akhilesh, seeks support against Centre's ordinance

Kejriwal has been meeting CMs of the non-BJP-ruled states and leaders of opposition parties to muster their support

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) president Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday met Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav here and sought the latter's support against the Centre's ordinance on control of services in Delhi.

Kejriwal, who was accompanied by Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Delhi minister Atishi and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, later, while speaking to the reporters, said that Akhilesh has pledged his party's support to him on the issue.

''The ordinance seeks to take the power from an elected government.....the centre chose to bring the ordinance despite the fact that a five-judge Supreme Court bench ruled in our favour on the issue....we have sought support from Akhilesh Yadav.....a positive message will be sent to the people if the Bill to replace the ordinance is defeated in the Rajya Sabha,'' Kejriwal said.

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Akhilesh, who also addressed the media persons, said that the Centre's ordinance was against the Constitution and that the SP would oppose the same in the Parliament.

Kejriwal has been meeting chief ministers of the non-BJP-ruled states and leaders of the opposition parties to muster their support on the issue. He has already met West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, NCP President Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena chief Udhav Thackeray, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury and CMs of Telangana and Tamil Nadu.

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Centre and the Delhi government are at loggerheads on control of services in the national capital.