WEST Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee onTuesday assured her counterpart from Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, that her party would support him in his fight against the Central ordinance to control appointments and transfer of bureaucrats in that city state. After a nearly hour-long meeting here,Banerjee told newspersons that a forthcoming vote in Rajya Sabha on a bill to convert the central ordinance on control of services in Delhi into law, will be a “semi-final before the 2024 elections.” Kejriwal who came to Kolkata along with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann as part of a nation wide tour to garner support for his fight also launched an attack against the BJP. He alleged the BJP “buys MLAs, uses CBI, ED to try to break” Opposition Governments,besides usingGovernorstodisturbnon-BJPGovernments such as “Bengal and Punjab”.

 

Banerjee told newspersons, “We support AAP in the fight against the Central ordinance ...Request all parties not to vote for BJP’s law (on controlling appointments in Delhi)”. Mean while,senior Congressleader Ajay Maken on Tuesday strongly opposed extending any support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the issue of theCentre’s ordinance on the administration of services in the national capital. He said that if all previous Delhi Chief Ministers could perform theirroles without creating any fuss, why was Arvind Kejriwal stirring up chaos? He asked whether it was mere political posturing.