LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday assured his party’s support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal against the Centre’s ordinance on control of services in the national capital. The SP chief’s remarks came after Kejriwal met him here amid efforts by the AAP to garner support against the Centre’s ordinance.

Addressing a press conference here, Yadav said his party will support the AAP on the issue.

Kejriwal, the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party, has been reaching out to leaders of non-BJP parties to garner their support against the ordinance so that the Centre’s bid to replace it through a Bill is defeated when it is brought in Parliament.

The Centre on May 19 had promulgated the ordinance to create an authority for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi, which the AAP government had called a deception with the Supreme Court verdict on control of services.

The ordinance came a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services in Delhi, excluding police, public order and land, to the elected government. It 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 top court’s May 11 verdict.