Arvind Kejriwal has been rallying non-BJP parties against the ordinance.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has threatened to skip tomorrow's pivotal opposition meeting if the Congress does not back its campaign against a contentious central government ordinance that aims to reshape Delhi's administrative services, sources said on Thursday.
The move risks derailing efforts by India's splintered opposition to come together and strategise for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
"The Congress must support us on the issue of the Delhi ordinance. We will boycott the opposition meeting if it doesn't and stay away from future opposition meetings," AAP sources said.
The ordinance in question, introduced by the BJP-led government at the centre last month, seeks to take control of Delhi's bureaucrats.
The AAP has criticised the move, arguing it undermines a recent Supreme Court verdict granting control of services in Delhi, excluding police, public order, and land, to the elected government.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday expressed hope that the Congress will clear its stand on the ordinance at the opposition meeting on Friday.
He has been reaching out to leaders of non-BJP parties in an attempt to rally their support against the ordinance and block it from becoming law via parliament.
The Congress has been the biggest holdout in the campaign that has received support from several regional parties opposed to the BJP.
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit, one of the AAP's staunchest opponents within his party, took a dig over the latest ultimatum, saying, "Kejriwal ji no one will miss you. You were looking for excuses to skip... This meeting is not for people who make deals."
Friday's meeting, organised by Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar in Patna, is expected to set the opposition's joint strategy for the upcoming elections.
"The Congress will have to make its stand clear, as all the other political parties at the meeting will ask about its position," Mr Kejriwal said on Tuesday.
