Nitish Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal vow Delhi battle in Rajya Sabha; but road may remain bumpy

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By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, May 21: Singed with Centre’s coup against city government. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has vowed to take his battle to gain control over Group A officials to the Rajya Sabha. The Ordinance issued by the Centre to negate the Supreme Court verdict to hand over the reins of the administration of the services to the council of ministers to an authority will need parliamentary approval in the Monsoon session of parliament.

“If all the Opposition parties unite, then the Ordinance to set up an authority for transfer and posting of the Group A officials can be stopped,” said Kejriwal in media briefing after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called on him in his bid to build on the Opposition unity.

The Bihar chief minister endorsed Kejriwal’s statement, saying that he is in agreement with what has been stated by Kejriwal. The BJP is still without a majority in the Rajya Sabha. Yet, the BJP has been able to get the Rajya Sabha nod for a number of contentious legislations such as scrapping special provisions of Article 370, criminalizing the practice of triple talaq among Muslims, farm laws, and others.

But the BJP with 93 MPs in the Rajya Sabha, which has a total strength of 250, including 12 nominated members, has not yet faced united Opposition in the Upper House of parliament and had made windfall at the expense of fence-sitters such as the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), YSR Congress, and others.

However, the Opposition unity bid now appears to be taking lessons from the past and is closing the gaps even while the fence-sitters may still not oblige Nitish Kumar and Arvind Kejriwal. Barring the BJD and the YSR Congress – each has nine Rajya Sabha MPs – the combined Opposition may turn the table on the BJP.

The Karnataka victory of the Congress has given a shot in the arms to the Opposition parties, and even those who previously didn’t see eye to eye have come together during the Budget session of parliament.

The Central government has come out with an alibi for the Ordinance to make the city government toothless that the measure has taken into account the arrangements as prevailing in bigger cities such as Washington DC, Ottawa, etc.

For Kejriwal, the Delhi Ordinance offers a plank to find working relations with the constituents of the Opposition parties, and ride the momentum to get boost to his political profile. But Opposition unity may not be sufficient to stop the Delhi Ordinance, for the BJP may resort to not take up the upcoming bill for voting in the Upper House with the alibi of din and get another Ordinance issued after the Monsoon session of parliament.