Ordinance row: 'Boycotting NITI Aayog meeting,' Kejriwal writes to Modi
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to PM Narendra Modi on Friday, saying he wouldn't be attending the NITI Aayog meeting. He questioned the purpose of attending it when "cooperative federalism is a joke" and the PM does not abide by the Supreme Court. The letter came as the Centre's ordinance to control Delhi's bureaucracy has left the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government rattled.
Why does this story matter?
The opposition, including the AAP, has accused the Centre of bulldozing India's federal structure by hijacking powers bestowed on the state governments in violation of the constitutional division of powers. Last week, the Centre purportedly introduced an ordinance to bypass a Supreme Court verdict, which had restated the AAP-led Delhi government's power over administrative services. The ordinance seeks to put bureaucrats above the CM.
What's the point, asks Kejriwal
Attack on democracy doesn't represent India's vision, cooperative federalism: Kejriwal
The meeting, scheduled for Saturday, is themed on preparing India's vision and promoting cooperative federalism. Kejriwal's letter to PM Modi said that the manner in which democracy has been attacked by toppling, fracturing, or impeding the functioning of non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments in recent years neither represents India's vision nor cooperative federalism. He said the ordinance wants to handicap the Delhi government.
Opposition parties back AAP government against Centre's ordinance
For days now, Kejriwal has been meeting opposition leaders to drum up support to oppose the Centre's ordinance in the Rajya Sabha. On Thursday, he met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar, who assured him of his support against the ordinance. Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, and the Congress extended support.
