KC Venugopal: Congress stand on Centre’s ordinance is clear

Ending weeks of speculation over the party’s position on the Centre’s ordinance on service control in Delhi, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal stated on Sunday that the party’s position is’very clear’ and that it will oppose it in parliament.

“Congress’ stand on this is very clear. We will oppose it,” Venugopal said while speaking to ANI. Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said the Congress’ “unequivocal opposition” to the Delhi ordinance was “a positive development”.

AAP MP and national spokesperson Raghav Chadha tweeted, “Congress announces its unequivocal opposition to the Delhi Ordinance. This is a positive development.”

Following the first Opposition meeting in Patna on July 23, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) stated that it would be “very difficult” for it to join any alliance that included the grand old party unless the Congress formally condemned the ordinance.

With the Congress having made its position on the Delhi ordinance known, the AAP will now attend the upcoming opposition party meeting in Bengaluru. “The party will participate in the meeting of like-minded parties in Bengaluru on July 17-18,” Raghav Chaddha stated.

In May, the BJP-led central government issued an ordinance on the transfer and posting of bureaucrats in Delhi, thus overturning a Supreme Court ruling that gave the elected government in Delhi control over services.

The legislation proposes establishing a National Capital Civil Service Authority to oversee the transfer and disciplinary actions of Group-A officers from the DANICS cadre.