Congress may oppose Bill replacing Delhi ordinance in Parliament

New Delhi, May 22

The Congress may oppose the bill replacing The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, with the issue learnt to have been discussed at the meeting between party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav.

The ordinance provides for setting up The National Capital Civil Service Authority which shall have the responsibility to recommend the transfers and postings of all the Group ‘A’ officers and officers of DANICS (Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli) serving in the affairs of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Congress sources said a decision to oppose the Bill is likely.

Earlier today senior Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said the party had welcomed the Supreme Court judgment and held the same view today also.

“The Constitution bench has delivered a detailed judgement on the Delhi issue and the government should honour that.”

Sharma added that it was clear that the Constitution bench of the Supreme Court had come out with a detailed judgment and offered an interpretation of the constitutional positions and rights of the states and elected governments.

“It was a larger question, it was not only limited to those parts of the judgement, not confined in my view only to Delhi, that was about India being a country. Under the Constitution, the government also has the right to issue an ordinance. But in the instant case, the government had decided to file a review petition and should have therefore awaited the Constitution bench orders on the issue. We will also await the court orders,” he said.

Asked if the Congress would oppose the bill replacing the Ordinance, Anand Sharma said, “We will cross the river when we come to it. Congress president, who is also leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, and leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, along with leaders of other political parties will discuss the issue and take a call.”

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal plans to rally support of the larger opposition against the ordinance and plans to meet TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray for the same. Nitish Kumar has already backed Kejriwal on the issue.