In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he would not attend the NITI Aayog meeting on Saturday in protest against the Centre’s “undemocratic” and “unconstitutional” ordinance that undermines cooperative federalism.
In a release on Thursday, the public policy think tank said its 8th Governing Council Meeting, with the theme ‘Viksit Bharat @ 2047: Role of Team India’, “provides an opportunity to create a road map in which Centre and States can work together as Team India”.
Mr. Kejriwal wrote there is a trend of non-BJP governments being toppled or hindered from functioning effectively. “Such actions do not align with the spirit of cooperative federalism, which is the objective of the NITI Aayog meeting.”
He also tweeted that he will meet Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao in Hyderabad on Saturday to seek support against the ordinance. Meanwhile, sources in Mr. Rao’s party, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, said he was also unlikely to attend the inauguration of the new Parliament building on Sunday.
Mobilising support
Mr. Kejriwal is reaching out to the Opposition leaders to stall the Bill from replacing the Centre’s May 19 ordinance — which negates the Supreme Court’s May 11 verdict on the Delhi Services Department issue — in the Rajya Sabha. The apex court judgment gave the elected regime the power to wield control over Delhi government officials.
In his letter, Mr. Kejriwal said the people of Delhi won in court after an eight-year-long struggle, but the Centre overturned the SC order in just eight days with the ordinance, due to which the city government will be unable act against officers who do not work.
“Why do you want to render the Delhi government powerless? Is this the vision of our nation? Is this cooperative federalism?
He added that the people are asking where shall they go for justice if the Supreme Court, considered the greatest temple of justice, is not respected.
“When such brazen disregard for the Constitution and democracy is taking place, and cooperative federalism is being mocked by your government, then attending the NITI Aayog meeting holds no meaning. Hence, it is not possible for me to attend the meeting tomorrow,” he wrote.
He added that only by upholding democratic values and fostering cooperative federalism can India truly advance and flourish.
Hitting out at the CM’s decision, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said, “Due to his political frustration, Mr. Kejriwal is denying development opportunities to the people of Delhi by not attending the NITI Aayog meeting, which decides the participation of various States in government schemes.”
(With inputs from the Hyderabad bureau)
