AAP National Convenor and Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal’s ongoing campaign against Centre’s anti-democracy ordinance garnered significant traction as Shiv Sena President and former Maharashtra CM Shri Uddhav Thackeray pledged to extend support to this fight.
The decision came after Shri Arvind Kejriwal arrived in Mumbai to meet with Shri Uddhav Thackeray to seek his support. Both the leaders held a healthy discussion over the distressing issue and deliberated upon the state of affairs in the country.
The AAP Convenor expressed his gratitude for the backing received from Shiv Sena (UBT) and emphasised their joint determination to challenge the oppressive measure in the Rajya Sabha.Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, who was accompanying the AAP Convenor, acknowledged the ideological differences between political parties but stressed the necessity of unity to preserve the nation.
He warned that the country's democracy was at serious risk, as elected leaders were being replaced by handpicked individuals, undermining the principles of representative governance. AAP Senior Leaders including Rajya Sabha MP Shri Sanjay Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Shri Raghav Chadha and Delhi Minister Ms Atishi were also present in the meeting along with Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Shri Sanjay Raut, Shri Aditya Thackeray and Smt Priyanka Chaturvedi.
AAP National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal thanked Shri Uddhav Thackeray for his hospitality and welcoming the visiting AAP delegation in Mumbai. He thanked the Thackeray family and the Shiv Sena for supporting the Aam Aadmi Party in its campaign.
He said that the Thackeray family has treated the Aam Aadmi Party like its own family member, and that this friendship between the two political parties will continue for a long time in future.The Delhi CM raised some fundamental questions that define a democracy and asked whether in a democratic set-up, the people who are elected by the people should be subservient to those who are selected by a particular person.
“Should the people have a bigger voice or should it be the Governor? Is the Central Government above the voice of the people in a democratic set-up? Surely, not. Since it is the state government that is directly responsible to its people, it needs to be given certain powers and this cannot be snatched by someone else,” he said.
Shri Arvind Kejriwal also pointed out that the Centre does not believe in following the orders of the Supreme Court. He highlighted that leaders of the BJP have made a consistent effort to target judges of the Supreme Court. He also said that workers of the BJP were running a social media campaign where it targeted and abused judges of different courts within the country.
The leaders and workers of the BJP have also called retired judges as ‘anti-national’ in the past. The message being sent out by the BJP through this Ordinance is that the Central Government will no more listen to the orders of the court. If it does not want to follow what the court has said then it will just issue an Ordinance against it,” he said.
Our democracy is in serious danger, instead of elected leaders, selected nominees are running the governments in the country: Bhagwant Mann
Reacting to the conditions across the country today, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Bhagwant Mann said that democracy is in serious danger. “It is not the elected representatives chosen by the people who are running the government, but rather the individuals selected by the central government.
However, the essence of democracy lies in those who have been elected by the people. On the other hand, the Governor is appointed by the central government. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor have not been chosen by the people, nor have they received votes from the public. They have been sent by the central government to create trouble for the elected governments of their choice,” he said.
Citing an unfortunate incident in his state, he added, “While addressing the state legislative assembly in Punjab, the Governor wanted to use the term “this government”, whereas constitutionally the Governor always says “my government”.
But he refused and we had to approach the Supreme Court to obtain an order for this. The Governor's residences across the country have become the headquarters of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the Governors have become their star campaigners,” he said.
He concluded by saying that the time is ripe for the opposition parties to come together to save democracy in India. “We all may have our ideological differences, but we will have to come together to save the country. If the country does not remain, then what is the point of any of these political parties.
If the BJP is elected in 2024, they will change the constitution and might even stop holding elections. The Prime Minister may say that I will rule for another 35-40 years and will hold elections only if I feel like. This is very dangerous for the country and therefore we all need to come together to stop this,” he said.
We have come together to fight anti-democracy forces and save the Constitution: Uddhav Thackeray
Shri Uddhav Thackeray echoed these sentiments, condemning the Centre's disregard for the Supreme Court's landmark judgement on the Constitutional rights of Delhi. He emphasised the need for a united front to combat the encroachment on democratic values and safeguard the Constitution. Looking ahead to the looming Lok Sabha elections next year, he stressed the urgency of coming together to prevent the erosion of democracy in the country.
Addressing the media today in Mumbai, Shri Uddhav Thackeray said that in the last couple of years this is the second time that Shri Arvind Kejriwal has come to meet him at Matoshree and he welcomed him to Mumbai. He went on to say that the friendship between them is a strong one and they believe in the power of the relationship between the two political parties.
This is also an important time to meet and gather the people of the country. Next year is an important one as it is the year of the general elections. If we do not do well in the upcoming elections and throw the BJP out of power then maybe by the time of next general elections, India may no longer continue to be a democracy, “he said.
Emphasising on the term “opposition parties”, Shri Uddhav Thackeray said that it is a very misleading term. He said that it indicates an opposition to something and said that political parties like the Shiv Sena and Aam Aadmi Party are patriotic parties.
He said that the term ‘opposition parties’ should be used for those political parties that are against the unity of the country and against democracy. “Political parties like Shiv Sena and AAP have come together to fight the anti-democratic forces in the country. We have come together to save the Constitution of India,” he said.