The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Wednesday extended its “support” to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) against the Centre’s ordinance giving control of ‘services’ back to the Delhi lieutenant governor.

The CPI announced its decision after a meeting between CPI general secretary D Raja and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Several prominent political parties, including JD (U), RJD, TMC, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP, BRS, DMK, JMM, SP and CPI (M) have already assured their support to the AAP over the matter.

Advertisement

Addressing the media after the meeting, Kejriwal expressed his gratitude to D Raja and the CPI for the support to his campaign against the Centre’s ordinance.

He said the CPI has announced their support to a cause that will be of immense help in the fight of two crore Delhiites against the suppression of their rights. “The democratic rights of the people of Delhi are being trampled upon. Today, we are in power, tomorrow someone else might be. The people of Delhi deserve to have the right to empower their elected leaders to govern the state without any interference from the Centre,” he said.

Furthermore, the Delhi chief minister explained that after studying the ordinance in-depth it has become clear that its provisions haven’t been imposed on Delhi because it is a half state. “Instead, this ordinance can be replicated upon any full state. Tomorrow, it might be Rajasthan, the day after it might be Punjab, Tamil Nadu or Kerala. The Centre can easily use it to confiscate the authority over all the subjects in the concurrent list,” Kejriwal said.

He also cautioned all non-BJP state governments to not be under the misconception that the step won’t be taken against them. “Delhi is only their pilot test. If this ordinance is not defeated at the stage of Delhi itself, then it will be replicated in every state where a non-BJP government is elected. All the 140 crore citizens of this country, all political parties must forget their differences and oppose this draconian ordinance,” the chief minister said.

He further said, “The ordinance is a brazen power grab and has wreaked havoc on Delhi. The ordinance not only reverses the Constitution Bench judgement of the Supreme Court but goes much beyond that.”

The CM highlighted many instances wherein the ordinance has created several impediments and has made day to day functioning of Delhi Government almost impossible.

Kejriwal said the ordinance is very dangerous for the whole country, not just Delhi. The more one reads into it, the more fatal outcomes of its provisions come out.

He pointed out about how the BJP has faced crushing defeat in Delhi three times in a row, and how it’s trying to stifle the governance system through the backdoor.

The CM thanked all the Opposition parties which have extended their support to his campaign against this ordinance. He expressed his hope that the ordinance will not stand in the Supreme Court and Rajya Sabha and the people of Delhi will get justice very soon.

Speaking on the occasion, D Raja said, “He (Arvind Kejriwal) explained to us how the Delhi Government has been made powerless and all the powers of the state government have been grabbed by the Central Government. It is very atrocious.”

The senior CPI leader expressed his support to Kejriwal on the issue of the ordinance and said that his party has always batted for Delhi being given full statehood. “As far as our party, the Communist Party of India, is concerned, we have made it very clear that we are with Arvind Kejriwal on this issue. In fact, ours is one of the few parties that have been demanding full statehood for Delhi, because there is an elected government with an elected chief minister, but they have no powers. It is the same situation in Puducherry, and our party has always said that both Delhi and Puducherry should have full statehood,” he said.

Kejriwal also criticised a provision in the Centre’s ordinance that allows them to establish commissions and boards for the Delhi government.

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government of misusing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by targeting the opposition leaders, Kejriwal said names of these probe agencies should be changed to ‘BJP Sena.’

In a tweet, Kejriwal said, “The names of CBI and ED should be changed to ‘BJP Sena.’ There was a time when these investigative agencies were respected. Whenever they conducted raids or made arrests, it appeared that the person must have done something wrong. Today, these agencies have become mere political weapons of the BJP.”