Congress to address opposition unity meeting

Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, has urged opposition leaders to attend a non-BJP gathering in Patna tomorrow to discuss the Centre’s law on administrative services control. Kejriwal advised opposition leaders not to see the Delhi ordinance as a “Delhi-centric problem” and warned of BJP-led ordinances for other states, establishing new laws and deliberately altering regulations.

A hidden message?

The Congress appears to be the main objective of Kejriwal’s main appeal to opposition politicians to be clear about their position on the Delhi ordinance issue.

All other opposition parties – Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPI, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, and Janata Dal United – who are suppose to attend the Patna convention on June 23 have express solidarity with Kejriwal on the Delhi ordinance issue and agree to oppose it in the Rajya Sabha when it is table as a Bill.

Conflict with Congress

The Congress has not taken a stand on the Delhi ordinance issue due to AAP’s resistance from its Delhi and Punjab units, which have crushed the Congress. Additionally, AAP’s expansion plan conflicts with Congress’s ambitions, as it gained significant votes in Gujarat polls and may do the same in other states.

Kejriwal has requested a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to discuss the Delhi ordinance problem, but the two leaders have not yet made time for it.