Delhi ordinance row: Kejriwal plans to meet Stalin, Hemant Soren this week to drum up support

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will meet his Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand counterparts to drum up support in opposing the central ordinance on control over administrative services in the national capital.

"Will be meeting Tamil Nadu CM Thiru @mkstalin in Chennai tomorrow (June 1) to seek DMK's support against Centre's unconstitutional-undemocratic 'Anti-Delhi' Ordinance," he tweeted on Wednesday.

"Day after tomorrow, on June 2, I will meet Jharkand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in Ranchi. Will seek his support against the ordinance promulgated by Modi government against the people of Delhi," he said in another tweet.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo has been reaching out to leaders of non-BJP parties to garner support against the ordinance so that the Centre's bid to replace it through a bill is defeated when it is brought in Parliament. The Centre had on May 19 promulgated the ordinance to create an authority for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi, which the AAP government had called a deception with the Supreme Court verdict on control of services.

The ordinance came a week after the apex court handed over the control of services in Delhi, excluding police, public order and land, to the elected government. It 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.

The Centre will have to bring a bill in Parliament to replace the ordinance within six months of its promulgation.  Transfer and postings of all officers of the Delhi government were under the executive control of the lieutenant governor before the top court's May 11 verdict.  CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief leader Uddhav Thackeray, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have so far extended their support to the AAP.

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar as well as his deputy Tejaswi Yadav and RJD leader have also supported Kejriwal in the matter.

The AAP national convenor has requested for time to meet Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi to seek their support against the ordinance.