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The Chief Ministers of Telangana, Delhi and Punjab, K Chandrashekar Rao, Arvind Kejriwal and Bagwant Mann, have demanded that the Union Government immediately withdraw the controversial Ordinance that it recently promulgated.
Kejriwal, along with AAP leader and Punjab Chief Minister Bagwant Mann, met with Rao in Hyderabad on Saturday, seeking his support in the fight against the Ordinance.
Addressing a joint press conference after their meeting, Rao alleged that the Centre’s Ordinance was an insult to the people of Delhi that elected the Government.
The Ordinance, promulgated on May 19, gives the Lieutenant Governor powers to appoint or transfer bureaucrats. The order, the AAP alleges, violates the Supreme Court order.
‘Undemocratic practices’
Alleging that it reminded one of the days preceding the Emergency in 1976, he criticised the Central Government for resorting to undemocratic methods and not allowing the Delhi Government to function.
Also read: Delhi ordinance gives access to CM on service matters, defends MHA officials
“It is an elected government and not a nominated Government. People will teach a lesson to the Centre as they did in Karnataka recently. The country will fight unitedly against such undemocratic practices,” he said.
“They should have learned a lesson after the humiliating defeat in Karnataka. If the Government of India doesn’t honour the Supreme Court, then what’s the fate of the country?” he said.
Kejriwal said the Centre started putting spokes ever since it came to power in 2015. “After a relentless fight for eight years, the Supreme Court has ruled in our favour. And, within eight days, the Centre has come out with another Ordinance, which invalidated the Supreme Court judgment,” he said.
Alleging that the Central Government is resorting to unscrupulous methods to dethrone non-BJP governments across the country, he said it bought or threatened MLAs and use the Central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation to destabilise the non-BJP Governments.
“They are also using the Governors to tinker with the democratically elected governments,” he said.
‘Insult to the people’
Stating that he is on a country-wide tour to muster support for his fight against the Centre’s Ordinance, he said the Prime Minister didn’t honour the Supreme Court.
“It is an insult to the people of Delhi. It’s a challenge to the Delhi people that who ever you elect, we won’t let them work. It is not just about Delhi; wherever people elect a non-BJP government, they are doing the same,” Kejriwal said.
Also read: Know your minister: A look at the 24 MLAs sworn in to the Karnataka cabinet today
“When this bill comes for voting in the Rajya Sabha, it should be defeated. The BJP Government only has 93 out of the 238 seats. If all non-BJP parties join hands, it will be defeated. It will be semi-final for the 2024 elections,” he said.
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