Jagan, Naveen Came Together For Govt To Get Delhi Services Bill Past Rajya Sabha

Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, has asked opposition parties to oppose a bill in the Rajya Sabha that seeks to replace a recently promulgated ordinance that nullifies the Supreme Court’s decision providing the Delhi government control over the capital’s bureaucracy.

Written by Musharrat Shahin May 22, 2023

Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of Delhi, has asked opposition parties to oppose the bill in the Rajya Sabha that seeks to replace the recently adopted ordinance, which voids the Supreme Court’s decision giving the Delhi government control over the bureaucracy in the nation’s capital. With the support of the YSR Congress and the BJD, the BJP leadership appears to be optimistic about passing the numbers test in the Upper House.

Essential Seat Required

The NDA currently has 110 seats in the House and can gain a few more by filling the two vacancies left by nominated members. Despite this, they would be eight seats shy of a majority in the House, which has an effective strength of 238.

Despite this, the BJP expects to overcome the gap with the help of the YSR Congress and the BJD, the heads of which, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, have refused to join the anti-BJP alliance.

BJP Vision

The BJP expressed confidence in the approval of the Delhi services ordinance in both chambers of Parliament due to its strong numbers.

“The ordinance was enacted in the interest of the people of Delhi, in accordance with the mandate of the Constitution,” said Anil Baluni, the BJP’s chief spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP. The NDA has the necessary numbers in both houses, and we expect other parties to support passage of the bill,” he further added.

Voting on the measure will also force Congress, which has alternated between animosity and solidarity with AAP, to state its position.

Parties shift continues

Since leaving the NDA for the second time, Naveen Patnaik, Nitish Kumar, chief minister of Bihar, recently tried to persuade to become the head of the JD(U), has been a key player in efforts to bring the opposition together. He continues to have a cordial relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The opposition, however, is not yet giving up on Patnaik and is expecting that the BJP, who is now Patnaik’s main rival in Odisha, would put forth a valiant effort to maximise its gains from the state in the next Lok Sabha elections.

While Congress and the AAP have had a changing relationship in recent years, the differences that arose a decade ago when Kejriwal and his friends contributed to the deterioration of the UPA’s legitimacy have yet to be mended.

Mayawati’s Opinion

Surprisingly, BSP president Mayawati appears to be opposed to AAP on the matter. The Dalit politician claimed that, after the BJP and Congress, it is now the AAP’s turn to disappoint people who had hoped for a stable government from the party.

She questioned how “the repeated interference of the Supreme Court in the federal structure” could be useful to governance, especially while two parties are warring over corruption and government power.