CM KCR demands withdrawal of Delhi ordinance; holds joint presser with Kejriwal, Mann

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao demanded that Prime Minister withdraw the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) ordinance on his own without further lapse of time

Hyderabad: In a first in recent times, three Chief Ministers together demanded the withdrawal of the Delhi ordinance on Saturday, which they said was issued by the Centre only to nullify the Supreme Court order granting the Delhi government executive and legislative authority over services. The three Chief Ministers also voiced their concern over the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre undermining the democratic system and pointing out that the Prime Minister himself was challenging the Supreme Court.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi president and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, who led the rare instance of three Chief Ministers holding a joint press conference, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who criticised the systematic destruction of democratic institutions during the Emergency, was now out on a similar mission with a much more sinister agenda. He recalled that the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had imposed emergency after the Allahabad court judgement against her election. He likened the prevailing situation in the country to that Emergency period.

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Flanked by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, who called upon him at Pragathi Bhavan here, Chandrashekhar Rao demanded Modi to withdraw the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) ordinance on his own without further lapse of time. The ordinance, which is intended to have the final authority vested with the Lieutenant Governor, instead of the elected government in respect of services of bureaucrats, was an insult to the people of Delhi, he said, adding that the ordinance was devised to nullify the Supreme Court ruling upholding the democratically elected government’s powers related to services, including transferring bureaucrats. The ordinance was issued on May 19, exactly eight days after the apex court held that the elected government has the final say on services.

“Allow the Delhi government to function. The people have voted the Aam Aadmi Party to power thrice in Delhi. It is a popular government which has extended good services with special initiatives paying rich dividends in the implementation of Mohalla clinics, water supply and electricity,” he said, expressing hope that the Prime Minister would honour the judgement of the Supreme Court. “If you are failing to honour the Supreme Court judgment, the people have to understand that the country is heading towards a phase that will be much worse than the dark days of the Emergency. People in Karnataka have already taught a lesson to the BJP,” he said.

Chandrashekhar Rao made it clear that the Delhi ordinance would be fought by all the opposition parties to ensure its defeat in the Parliament. Thanking the BRS president for his support, Kejriwal said he was emboldened in the fight against the ordinance with the support from Chandrashekhar Rao.

Modi’s ordinance to snatch away the powers of the elected government of Delhi was a subtle message to people that non-BJP governments would not be allowed to function under any circumstances. Opposition parties, by coming together for the sake of democratic institutions, can prevent the ordinance from becoming law by defeating the Bill in the Rajya Sabha where the numbers are not in the BJP’s favour. Of the 238 members in the house, only 93 were from the ruling party, he said.

The AAP, which was elected to power for the first time in 2015, was deprived of power within three months, he said, pointing out that the previous regime led by Sheila Dixit had been in complete control of services and related matters. “Being the Chief Minister, today I cannot transfer the education secretary or the health secretary and for that matter not even a deputy secretary,” he said. The Supreme Court had upheld the powers of an elected government in matters pertaining to the services of bureaucrats. But within just eight days of the ruling, the Centre reversed the process by issuing an ordinance, he said, asking where the common man would go for justice if the Prime Minister himself would not honour the ruling of the apex court.

The ordinance was also an insult to the people of Delhi, Kejriwal said, pointing out that if a non-BJP government was formed, the BJP would either poach MLAs and topple governments or misuse the authority of Governors to harass democratically elected governments. “This is a dangerous situation for democracy. If the BJP government in the Centre rules States by proxy, why were we elected by the people?” he asked. Bhagwant Singh Mann said Raj Bhavans in the country had become BJP offices. The governor system was being blatantly misused by the BJP. Citing the experiences of Chief Ministers in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala with the Governors there, he said this was a big blow to the federal structure of the country. “We are waging a battle to protect democracy in the country,” he said, adding that such type of functioning could not be tolerated.