The Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and West Bengal on Saturday called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene to solve the constitutional crisis following the sit-in protest by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at the Raj Niwas.
They said they had been denied permission by the Lieutenant-Governor to meet Mr. Arvind Kejriwal at the Raj Niwas .
Chandrababu Naidu, H.D. Kumaraswamy, Pinrayi Vijayan, and Mamata Banerjee met members of Mr. Kejriwal’s family at his residence late on Saturday, and held a press conference.
The unlikely unity among the four Opposition leaders is seen as a strong message to the Narendra Modi government and the opposition Congress. Mr. Kejriwal and three of his Cabinet colleagues have been on a sit-in for the past six days .
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Earlier on Saturday, the four Chief Ministers, who are in Delhi to attend Sunday’s NITI Aayog meeting, sought permission to meet Lt. Governor Anil Baijal and submit a representation on the protest by Mr. Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues. In a joint letter to Mr Baijal, the Chief Ministers said, “All of us would like to make a representation to you with respect to the issues concerning the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi Shri Arvind Kejriwal. Please grant us a meeting slot today as we are waiting. We request you to give us time around 9 p.m. today.”
Before meeting Mr. Kejriwal’s family, the four Chief Ministers had a meeting lasting over 90 minutes. The Opposition quartet marks a first in many ways. For the first time, political adversaries Mr. Vijayan and Ms. Banerjee are being seen together. Also it is a signal to the Congress that the Opposition is not bound by its terms.
According to sources close to Mr. Vijayan, he had not planned to join the other three and had retired for the day to catch the Argentina-Iceland football match. But within minutes he got calls from Mr. Naidu, Ms. Banerjee and Mr. Kejriwal. He then headed to the CPI(M) headquarters AKG Bhavan where he discussed the invitation with available Polit Bureau members who directed him to join the meeting.
Ms. Banerjee was the first among the quartet to express solidarity with Mr. Kejriwal.According to sources, she played a pivotal role in bringing the other three leaders together. The Congress has kept the AAP at arm’s length, not inviting it to Opposition meetings.
(With Damini Nath)
