Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Thursday said he will take the “responsibility” to convince non-BJP opposition parties to defeat in Rajya Sabha the Centre’s ordinance on control of services in the national capital.

Pawar indicated that he would speak to the Congress as well as Biju Janata Dal leadership to ensure unity in the opposition ranks over the issue.

The NCP chief was speaking at a press conference in Mumbai after meeting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had called on Pawar to enlist his support in forging opposition unity on the issue.

“To some extent I will take responsibility to speak to others (non-BJP parties). We would speak to other states and we will also come with you, to speak to others… it is our duty to convince the non-BJP parties… whether it is the Congress or the Biju Janata Dal, all of them need to be on board. I have been a parliamentarian for several years and I have personal relations with several leaders, so I would speak to them,” Pawar said.

Pawar’s initiative to speak to the Congress leadership is interesting as a section of the Congress leadership, especially in Delhi, has publicly urged the party leadership to not support Kejriwal on the ordinance issue.

Kejriwal himself said that he would be reaching out to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi. “I will speak to them tomorrow (Friday) and seek time to meet and discuss the attack on state governments and on the federal structure of the country,” Kejriwal said at the press conference.

The Delhi chief minister alluded to him speaking to Pawar on Thursday to get parties like the Congress on board to oppose the ordinance. “Sharad Pawar ji is the tallest leader in the country, we requested him that we not just need his party’s support but also need his help to get other parties to join us in defeating this ordinance when it comes in the form of a bill in Rajya Sabha. The BJP does not have a complete majority in Rajya Sabha and if all the opposition parties come together, the bill can be defeated.” The NCP Chief threw his weight behind Kejriwal, saying the fight was not just between the AAP government in Delhi and the Centre. “This is a bill to attack parliamentary democracy in the country, this would damage it. Our MPs would vote against the bill in Parliament. In my 56 years of parliamentary life, I have never seen such a brazen attack against an elected government…”he said.