The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is likely to skip the Opposition meeting scheduled for July 17 and 18 in Bengaluru, party sources said, with the Congress refusing to comply with the condition laid out by the AAP to publicly declare support for its campaign against the ordinance amending the Government of National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi Act, 1991 that curtails State government’s powers over bureaucracy.
Senior AAP leaders told The Hindu that the party stands by its June 23 position. “We are yet to have a meeting to take a final call on whether to attend the next Opposition meeting or not. But without the Congress publicly supporting us on the ordinance, the chances of the party attending the next meeting are bleak,” a senior AAP leader said.
Just minutes after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders skipped the joint press briefing, the party released an official statement, saying it would be difficult for them to participate in future meetings. “Many parties urged the Congress to publicly denounce the black ordinance. However, the Congress refused to do so. Until the Congress publicly denounces the black ordinance and declares that all 31 of its RS [Rajya Sabha] MPs will oppose the ordinance in the Rajya Sabha, it will be difficult for AAP to participate in future meetings of like-minded parties where the Congress is a participant,” an official statement from the AAP said.
