Delhi: AAP set to pit its MLAs against sitting municipal councillors

On Monday, MLAs Saurabh Bhardwaj, Praveen Kumar and Madan Lal Khurana released documents pointing out how the SDMC had refused allocation for lighting and open gyms from the MLA Local Area Development funds in their constituencies. Bhardwaj had complained to the ‘Questions and Reference Committee’ of the Delhi Assembly that the reply furnished by the SDMC to questions raised by him in the assembly in August were “incomplete” and “untruthful”.

The committee has now summoned the SDMC commissioner, director of local bodies and other senior officials for an on-the-camera session slated for Tuesday to hear Bhardwaj’s complaint. The session has been kept open “to make work of committees transparent and closer to citizens for better accountability of departments,” according to an official statement.

However, Shailender Singh, SDMC standing committee chairman, had earlier rubbished the allegations. “We have already put 75,000 LED lights in place, which is 11,000 more than what was required. They (AAP) wanted 5,000 more lights from every MLA’s LAD fund when there was no scope for additional lights. This is why we refused,” he said.

“The corporation has been asking for funds in several other heads where they could have provided us a share of MLA LAD funds and they chose not to,” he added.

Since coming to power, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has taken on the Centre alleging interference in the Delhi government’s functioning. He has also accused it of “using” the offices of the L-G and Delhi Police to put a spanner in the state government’s works.

Party sources said the counter-campaign of the BJP and Congress to dismiss AAP for being “too confrontational” and of “ignoring governance” has given people an impression that the party just engages in “mud-slinging”.

“The MLAs want to spend money from their LAD funds but councillors are not letting them. BJP and Congress councillors are stalling work, such as ensuring cleanliness or setting up open gyms. You cannot play petty politics at the cost of public welfare. If the BJP-led municipal corporations do not want to work, they might as let us do so,” said Dilip Pandey, AAP Delhi unit convenor.