BJP has made its disregard for Supreme Court verdict evident: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that the recently issued Ordinance for control of services in the national capital reflects the lack of faith of the Narendra Modi government in the Supreme Court’s verdict.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that the recently issued Ordinance for control of services in the national capital reflects the lack of faith of the Narendra Modi government in the Supreme Court’s verdict.

“By bringing the Delhi Ordinance, the BJP has made it evident that they are disregarding the verdict of the Supreme Court. This will be like a semi-final in the Rajya Sabha. If this Bill (ordinance) fails to pass in Parliament, the Modi government will not be coming back to power in the 2024 elections,” he asserted.

Mr. Kejriwal, along with his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, met Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray at the latter’s residence ‘Matoshree’ in Mumbai, to seek support for his party’s fight against the Centre’s ordinance.

Also read: Explained | How will the new Ordinance affect ‘services’ in Delhi?

He accused the Centre of using the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to topple State governments, and cited the collapse of Mr. Thackeray’s government as an example. “The Shiv Sena has promised to support the people of Delhi when the ordinance comes to the Rajya Sabha in the form of a Bill,” the Delhi Chief Minister said.

In agreement with Mr. Kejriwal, the Sena leader, whose party holds three seats in the Rajya Sabha, criticised the Central government for circumventing the apex court’s decision. “We have come together to defeat forces that are against democracy and save the country. Instead of labelling ourselves as the Opposition parties, it is fitting to consider the Centre as the true ‘opposition’ since their stance appears to contradict the principles of democracy and the Constitution,” the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra said.

Mr. Kejriwal said that the ordinance on the control of services in Delhi meant that the Modi government did not believe in the Supreme Court. “The ordinance implies that ‘how can the Supreme Court give a judgment against us [the Centre]’?” he said citing the BJP’s failed ‘Operation Lotus’ in Delhi as the reason behind the introduction of the ordinance.