The Aam Aadmi Party will attend a meeting of opposition parties in Bengaluru to chalk out a joint strategy to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, party leader Raghav Chadha announced on Sunday.
After a meeting of the AAP's highest decision making body -- political affairs committee (PAC) -- at party national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence in New Delhi, Chadha also welcomed the Congress' decision to oppose in Parliament the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in Delhi.
"The Aam Aadmi Party's political affairs committee met today and held an extensive discussion. On the party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal's call, the Trinamool Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Janata Dal-United, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Bharata Rashtra Samiti, the Nationalist Congress Party, the Samajwadi Party, the Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha -- all these parties raised their voice against the black ordinance and assured of their support in defeating (the bill on it) in Parliament," he said.
In this series, the Congress also clarified its stand today, saying it is against the Delhi ordinance, he said, adding, "We welcome this announcement by the Congress party."
"I want to say that AAP under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal will take part in the meeting of like-minded parties scheduled to be held in Bengaluru on July 17 and July 18," the AAP leader told reporters.
With all these parties extending their support to AAP on the issue, it has now become clear that those who are 'anti-national' will stand in support of this 'black ordinance' and all those who love India and its democracy will raise their voice and vote against this ordinance, he said.
"Every person or political party who loves India and is a well-wisher of this country will stand against this black ordinance and make every possible effort and contribute in defeating it," Chadha said, when asked if the AAP has gained enough support to defeat the Centre's move to bring a bill in Parliament.
Speaking to PTI after the meeting, Delhi Minister Gopal Rai welcomed the Congress' decision to oppose the Delhi ordinance and said he is confident that any move of the Centre bring a bill to replace the ordinance will be defeated in Parliament.
"All (opposition) parties have already supported AAP on the issue. The Congress support came a bit late," he said, welcoming the Congress decision.
He said the ordinance is not just an attack 'on Delhi but the people of the country'.
"I am confident that this ordinance, through which an attempt has been made (by the Centre) to hijack the elected government of Delhi, will definitely be defeated in Rajya Sabha," he told PTI.
The AAP had earlier said it would join the meeting in Bengaluru only if the Congress extended its support to the AAP in opposing the Delhi ordinance in Parliament.
This will be the second meeting of more than a dozen opposition parties in Bengaluru as they seek to chalk out a joint strategy to take on the BJP unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
In their first meeting in Patna, they resolved to take on the BJP unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP-led central government brought the ordinance on the transfer and posting of bureaucrats in Delhi in May, virtually negating a Supreme Court verdict giving the elected government in Delhi the control over services matter.
The ordinance 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 May 11 verdict of the apex court.
