BJP plans big outreach ahead of MCD polls; AAP says resign, hold elections
NEW DELHI: Seeking to win a fourth consecutive term in the municipal corporations in the elections scheduled next year, the Delhi BJP will start a public outreach programme from February to tell people about how the functioning the three civic bodies has been adversely affected due to alleged non-payment of dues by the AAP government in Delhi.
During this one-and-a-half month programme, Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta will be covering two assembly constituencies in a day where he, along with senior party leaders, will be meeting people from different walks of life.
This outreach is planned at a time when the BJP and the AAP are at loggerheads over municipal funds. While the BJP has been claiming that the Delhi government owes the corporations Rs 13,000 crore (approx.), the AAP is campaigning against the BJP alleging a Rs 2,500 crore scam in the functioning of North Delhi Municipal Corporation. The AAP is holding mohalla sabhas since January 7 till January 15 to highlight the alleged scams by the Bjp-led corporations.
Gupta said, “It is important to tell people about how the AAP government has failed people of Delhi on multiple counts. The government has made it impossible for the three civic bodies to function, as it is yet to release Rs 13,000 crore. The corporations are unable to pay salaries to its employees, as they don’t have adequate funds. We will also highlight the failures of the Delhi government. I will be meeting various group of people where we will also discuss about the work done by the central government. We will start this outreach programme from February.”
Giving details of the outreach programme, a Delhi BJP spokesperson said, “We will cover two assembly constituencies in a day. A team in each constituency will soon be formed which will plan meetings with resident welfare associations, professionals and traders.”
AAP senior leader and in-charge of municipal corporation issues Durgesh Pathak said,”the BJP is in power in the municipal corporations for the last 15 years and they have done so much corruption that today the civic bodies have no money to pay salaries to their employees. On one hand the poor employees of the Bjp-ruled corporations are starving and on the other hand, the BJP councillors are becoming richer.”
He added, “In the last 15 years, the BJP has only gifted three huge landfills to citizens of Delhi.”
Pathak added, “There is a scam of ₹2,500 crores in the MCD, which is the biggest scam in the history of Delhi. This scam is bigger than the Commonwealth Games scam. To divert the attention of the citizens of Delhi from these massive scams, the Bjp-ruled MCD has come up with such fabricated allegations against the AAP government. To build a house in Delhi, owners need to pay bribes to the MCD.”
He added, “The Aam Aadmi Party believes that the BJP has no moral right to continue ruling the MCD. The Aam Aadmi Party demands that the BJP should immediately resign from the MCD and hold fresh elections. The AAP believes that the citizens of Delhi have made up their mind to throw BJP out of the power in the MCDS.”