‘Delhi govt doesn’t owe ‘single rupee’ to BJP-ruled MCDs’

◗ AAP LEADER Saurabh Bhardwaj said the BJPruled MCD wastes its money and there is corruption. Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said Bhardwaj’s statement that the Delhi government has “no dues to pay to the three municipal corporations is tota

New Delhi, Aug. 2: The AAP on Monday said the Delhi government does not owe even a “single rupee” to the BJP-ruled municipal corporations and claimed it is they who have to return about `6,500 crore to the city government. The Delhi BJP has termed as false the statements of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is the ruling party here.

Addressing a press conference, AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “The Delhi government does not owe even a single rupee to the municipal corporations, moreover, the BJP-ruled MCDs (municipal corporations of Delhi) have to return about Rs 6,500 crore to the Delhi government.”

There are three municipal corporations in the city the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, North Delhi Municipal Corporation and East Delhi Municipal Corporation. “The North MCD has enough money to give funds to their own councillors but no money to pay the salaries of doctors, nurses and cleaners. The North MCD owes Rs 2,407 crore to the Delhi government, yet it has decided to give funds of Rs 50 lakh to its councillors,” he said.

Bhardwaj claimed that the BJP-ruled MCD wastes its money and there is corruption.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said Bhardwaj’s statement that the Delhi government has “no dues to pay to the three municipal corporations is totally false and misleading”.

“The Delhi government has to pay pending dues of around `13,000 crores,” he said. The BJP leader dared Bhardwaj to make Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal give a statement in the Delhi Assembly that the government owes no funds to MCDs. He said that yes, there are some loans on MCDs but they were given prior to 2015 by the Delhi government, which is before the AAP came to power. “The Kejriwal government has all along denied due funds to MCDs, who can expect it to give any loan. In fact, the Kejriwal government has now and then deducted interest on loans from municipal funds,” Kapoor said.