241. AAP govt slams ‘garbage politics’, BJP says crisis is your creation

Hitting back at the AAP government, BJP leader Vijender Gupta described Sisodia’s call to supersede the three municipal corporations and hold fresh elections as a political strategy to weaken the civic bodies.

By: Express News Service | Delhi | Published:January 29, 2016 2:06 am

CM Arvnid Kejriwal

The Delhi government Thursday hit out at the BJP-ruled municipal corporations for not being able to pay salaries to employees. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted that management of an organisation which cannot pay salaries to employees does not have right to continue. In the same tweet, he added MCD should be dissolved and fresh elections held.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia appealed to the Centre to dissolve the municipal corporations. The three corporations have admitted to being paid by the Delhi government, which means they should have paid the employees, he said. In last one year it is the fourth time that employees have gone on strike, added Sisodia. He alleged employees on strike were instigated to throw garbage outside his house.

“Mayors are making employees throw garbage in front of my residence. This is garbage politics. We want the accounts audited. We should have rights to inquire… if we have responsibility to give funds,” said Sisodia.

“The three corporations have themselves admitted having received Rs 892.92 crore for North MCD, Rs 465.53 crore for East MCD and Rs 668 crore for South MCD under the non-planned head for the current financial year… 90% of the non-planned allocation is for payment of salaries,” added the deputy CM.
Sisodia said the mayors were scared of getting the accounts audited. “They should reveal as to how much income they have generated from the sources of income under their control… It is shameful that the political leadership of MCDs is misleading employees by not telling them the truth. There is no doubt that the three MCDs have been turned into organisations of shame by their leadership,” he added.

Hitting back at the AAP government, BJP leader Vijender Gupta described Sisodia’s call to supersede the three municipal corporations and hold fresh elections as a political strategy to weaken the civic bodies.

“(The) present crisis is creation of Kejriwal’s political ambitions. It is a planned, deliberate and sustained strategy to create financial crisis in the three municipalities for political ambitions,” said Gupta, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly.

The BJP said AAP was making the allegations because it was eyeing the 2017 municipal elections. “It has found dubious means to starve civic bodies of funds so that it can exploit the situation to its political advantage. It cannot deny the benefits of Fourth Delhi Finance Commission,” said Gupta.