In a significant development, opposition parties are set to discuss the anti-Delhi ordinance imposed by the central government in their upcoming meeting. The meeting, scheduled to take place in Patna on June 23, will see the participation of prominent leaders from various non-BJP parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party National Convenor and Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal.
The foremost item on the agenda for the meeting, will be the Centre’s unconstitutional ordinance on Delhi. This move comes as the opposition seeks clarity from the Congress on their stance regarding this matter. Highlighting the gravity of the situation, Shri Arvind Kejriwal emphasised that the ordinance not only pertains to Delhi but also holds the potential to be enforced on any full-fledged state in the country. To emphasise this point, he intends to carry a copy of the constitution and elucidate the implications of such an ordinance. Shri Arvind Kejriwal further explained that the central government has the authority to introduce similar ordinances on any subject within the concurrent list. Therefore, it is crucial for all opposition parties to come together and deliberate on this issue to ensure the protection of states’ autonomy.
Responding to a query during his press conference on Tuesday, Shri Arvind Kejriwal said, “I hope that the Congress will make its stand clear, as all the other political parties in that meeting will ask the Congress about its stand. The very first issue to be discussed in that meeting will be regarding the Delhi ordinance. I will explain the dangers of this ordinance to each and every party present over there. I will take the Constitution of India with me and explain how this ordinance makes a mockery of it,” he said.
He added, “Just because this has only been promulgated in Delhi, which is often considered a “half-state”, it does not mean that it cannot be promulgated in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Maharashtra. By promulgating such ordinances, the Centre can end up dissolving all the matters that come within the concurrent list of the Constitution of India.”
