While the Congress did not openly declare its support to AAP's fight against the ordinance, Jairam Ramesh said that the party has always fought against the government’s assaults on the constitutional rights, in response to a question on whether the party had discussed the ordinance issue.
Ahead of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, the Congress on Saturday said that it will continue to oppose the "attack" on the constitutional rights and responsibilities of elected governments. The party further said that there was a "brazen attack" on constitutional bodies which were being "weakened, ignored and overlooked," hinting at the possibility of the party supporting the Aam Aadmi Party's fight against the Delhi ordinance.
Briefing reporters after an hour and a half long meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Strategy Group, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that the party will raise some pressing issues facing the country such as railway safety in the wake of the Balasore train tragedy, assault on the federal structure of the country, demand of joint parliamentary committee probe into the Adani issue, inflation, bringing the GST under the purview of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and the sexual harassment allegations against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Although he did not openly declaring the party's support to AAP's fight against the ordinance, he said that the Congress has always fought against the Modi government’s "assaults on the constitutional rights and responsibilities of democratically elected state governments and local bodies". "This assault comes directly and this assault comes from the appointees of the Modi government, like governors. The Congress party has opposed it. We have opposed it in Parliament. We will continue to oppose it. There is no question of not opposing it. This is a brazen assault on the Constitution,” Jairam Ramesh said, when asked whether the party had discussed the ordinance issue.
The Centre had issued the ordinance on May 19, establishing a National Capital Civil Service Authority responsible for the transfer and disciplinary proceedings of Group-A officers in Delhi. This move came in response to a Supreme Court verdict on May 11, which granted control of services in the capital, excluding police, public order, and land, to the elected government.
Following the promulgation of the ordinance, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been reaching out to leaders of non-BJP parties to seek their support against the ordinance.
Arvind Kejriwal had earlier expressed hope that the Congress would clear its stand on the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in the national capital during the Opposition party meet in Patna. Congress has so far kept its stand ambiguous as to whether it would support the AAP or not when the ordinance is put to test in Parliament by the BJP-led Centre.
The Congress also said it will demand a discussion on the Manipur situation in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and would like Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the country into confidence on the matter. Taking a jibe at Modi, Jairam Ramesh said there is an "ABC element to the PM's silence as he is silent on Adani, Brij Bushan and China".
The party will further reiterate the demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the allegations against the Adani group, raise the issue of the involvement of BJP MP and outgoing Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bushan Singh in sexual harassment of female wrestlers, and oppose bills such as personal data protection and one to amend forest conservation law.
Parliament's Monsoon Session will start on July 20 and continue till August 11. The session will be spread across 23 days and will have 17 sittings.