A day ahead of the Opposition parties meeting in Patna, the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi has asked the grand old party to make its stand clear on the Ordinance issue, it has threatened to skip the Opposition parties meeting, if Congress doesn't support the AAP on the ordinance. The Opposition parties' meeting in Patna is being held to chalk out a roadmap for the formation of an anti-BJP front for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. But the dilemma of the grand old party is whether it supports an ordinance which is in sync with the policy of its previous Governments at the Center or supports AAP by opposing the ordinance for the larger goal of a united opposition in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
If Congress supports the Ordinance, the grand old party will be seen as siding with the central Government. But several senior leaders of the Congress party are of the view that as a national party and in the national interest there is nothing wrong even it has to be on the same page with BJP on an issue on which Congress' successive governments in the past have had the same stand.
AAP just a day before the meeting is trying to build pressure on Congress so that other opposition parties also join the chorus and force Congress to oppose the ordinance. However, as per sources, many in Congress are of the view that the party should support the ordinance, sources suggest that in the meeting held in the national capital over the ordinance issue, former Delhi PCC president Ajay Maken elaborated to Rahul Gandhi on why the party should not oppose the ordinance? As per sources Maken in the meeting said it is a policy issue and would have a far-reaching impact on the future of the Congress party.
The Congress, being a national party, would have to fulfil a commitment to give more powers to the Delhi government whenever it would come to power at the Centre, contrary to the party's own stand adopted in past by successive Congressmen from the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to other Congress governments at the Center. As per sources Rahul Gandhi didn't disagree with what Maken explained in the meeting.
Many in the Congress believe that in a state where the Congress is the main opposition party, empowering the Delhi chief minister with agencies like anti-corruption and vigilance can backfire. In the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when Congress is trying to forge a grand alliance of all opposition parties this could be its first litmus test in deciding how far can it go.
