“Congress’ stand on Centre's ordinance is clear": KC Venugopal

New Delhi [India], July 16 (ANI): Ending weeks of speculation over its stand on the Centre’s ordinance related to the control of services in Delhi, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Sunday said that the party’s stand on the same is ‘very clear’ and it is going to oppose it in parliament.
"Congress' stand on this is very clear. We will oppose it," Venugopal said while speaking to ANI.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said the Congress' "unequivocal opposition" to the Delhi ordinance was "a positive development".
AAP MP and national spokesperson Raghav Chadha tweeted, "Congress announces its unequivocal opposition to the Delhi Ordinance. This is a positive development."
After the first Opposition meeting in Patna on July 23, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had said that unless the Congress publicly denounced the ordinance it would be “very difficult” for it to be a part of any coalition that includes the grand old party.
With the Congress making its stand clear on the Delhi ordinance issue, the AAP will now participate in the upcoming meeting of the opposition parties in Bengaluru.
“The party under Arvind Kejriwal ji, will participate the meeting of the like-minded parties in Bengaluru on July 17-18,” Raghav Chaddha said.
The BJP-led central government brought the ordinance on the transfer and posting of bureaucrats in Delhi in May, virtually negating a Supreme Court verdict giving the elected government in Delhi the control over services matter.
The ordinance seeks to set up a National Capital Civil Service Authority for the transfer of and disciplinary proceedings against Group-A officers from the DANICS cadre.
Transfer and postings of all officers of the Delhi government were under the executive control of the lieutenant governor before the May 11 verdict of the apex court.
The AAP had been counting on the support of the Congress, which has 31 MPs in the Rajya Sabha. The BJP does not have a majority in the Upper House of Parliament.
CM Kejriwal had even held one-on-one meetings with top Opposition leaders across the country, soliciting their support on the Ordinance issue. 
The Ordinance is likely to be tabled in Parliament during the Monsoon session.
Earlier, at the inaugural meeting of Opposition parties in Patna, last month, the Congress had kept its stance "unclear" on the Ordinance issue and had repeatedly stressed that the meeting to flesh out the contours for Opposition unity, with an eye on the next year's Lok Sabha elections, wasn't the appropriate forum to clear its stand on the issue. (ANI)