AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announcing a boycott of the NITI Aayog meeting on the Centre’s recent ordinance, alleging that it has turned “cooperative federalism” in the country into a “joke”. going.
AAP-ruled Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has also announced to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting to be held on Saturday.
The recent ordinance brought by the BJP-led central government has taken back the Delhi government’s elected executive control over the bureaucracy which was earlier given by the Supreme Court through its judgment on May 11.
Kejriwal, in his letter to Prime Minister Modi, also alleged that non-BJP governments in the country were being toppled by threatening the use of money or defection of their MLAs by central investigative agencies like the ED and CBI, and questioned whether Such action encouraged cooperative federalism in the country.
In his letter, Kejriwal said that the NITI Aayog meeting will be held on Saturday and the objective of the commission is to formulate India’s vision and take forward cooperative federalism.
He alleged, “The way democracy has been attacked, non-BJP governments toppled and stopped from functioning in the last few years, it is neither the vision of India nor cooperative federalism.”
“There is no point in attending the NITI Aayog meeting when the Constitution and democracy are being openly flouted and cooperative federalism is being presented as a joke. People are saying that we should not go to the NITI Aayog meeting tomorrow.
Therefore it will not be possible for me to attend the meeting, Kejriwal said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and chief minister said that after eight years of struggle, the people of the national capital won the battle in the Supreme Court and got justice, citing the apex court’s May 11 verdict on the elected hand of the government. Gave. Executive power, including transfer and posting of officers in Delhi, which was previously in the domain of the lieutenant governor.
Kejriwal said, ‘In just eight days you passed an ordinance to reverse the Supreme Court’s decision.’
He claimed that if an officer of the Delhi government does not work, the government elected by the people cannot take action against him.
“How will the government function like this? This is completely paralyzing the government. Why do you want to paralyze the Delhi government? Is this India’s vision, is this cooperative federalism?” he asked in the letter to Modi.
There is strong opposition among people in the country against the ordinance brought by the Centre, with Kejriwal asserting that “people are asking that if the Prime Minister does not obey the Supreme Court, where will he go?” The Chief Minister of Delhi claimed that a message is being given in the country that if the people of a state elect a non-BJP party, it will not be tolerated.
He alleged that either non-JP governments are toppled by horse-trading or are driven away by the “threat” of the ED or CBI and that if MLAs of a party are not bought or defected If so, his government is prevented from functioning. By an ordinance or through the governor.
The Prime Minister of the country is like the father and elder brother of the family. Irrespective of the ruling party in a state, the Prime Minister should take everyone along. He said that the country will progress only when all the people, all the states and all the governments work together.
Kejriwal said, “If you only support BJP governments and stop non-BJP governments from working, it will stop the country’s progress.”
He said that in this way cooperative federalism would be taken forward and the country would progress.
Kejriwal has been visiting various non-BJP ruled states, meeting with opposition leaders to garner their support to thwart a bill on the ordinance in the Rajya Sabha.
He has so far met leaders like Mamta Banerjee, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav. The Delhi chief minister is also scheduled to meet his Telangana counterpart and has also sought appointment with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI,