Ordinance Row: Arvind Kejriwal Meets Akhilesh Yadav In Lucknow, SP Chief Assures Support

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a joint press conference in Lucknow today where Yadav assured his party's support with Kejriwal against the Centre's ordinance on control of services in the national capital. 

Arvind Kejriwal has been on a tour to meet the opposition leaders across the country to gather support regarding the Centre's ordinance to control the postings and transfers of the Indian Administrative Services officers in Delhi. He met the SP chief on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Yadav said his party will support the AAP on the issue. 

Akhilesh Yadav during the press conference said, "The ordinance is anti-democratic. I want to assure CM Arvind Kejriwal that Samajwadi Party is with you and will support you. To this, the Delhi CM replied as he thanked Yadav for his support, "If non-BJP parties come together then this ordinance can be defeated in Rajya Sabha and it will send a strong message that the Modi govt is not coming to power in 2024. I thank SP chief Akhilesh Yadav who has assured us that his party will support us in Rajya Sabha."

The Centre on May 19 had promulgated the ordinance to create an authority for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi, which the AAP government had called a deception with the Supreme Court verdict on control of services.

The ordinance came a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services in Delhi, excluding police, public order and land, to the elected government. It seeks to set up a National Capital Civil Service Authority for the transfer of and disciplinary proceedings against Group-A officers from the DANICS cadre.

Transfer and postings of all officers of the Delhi government were under the executive control of the lieutenant governor before the top court's May 11 verdict.

(With PTI inputs)