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High drama as Chandigarh MC staff, BJP workers face off
Local BJP leader accused of slapping MC chief’s private secretary; employees demand FIR, threaten indefinite strike from today; party submits counter complaint
A high drama was witnessed at the Chandigarh municipal corporation office in Sector 17 after a Bharatiya Janata Party local leader allegedly slapped the private secretary to commissioner KK Yadav on Tuesday afternoon. In turn, the BJP accused MC employees of attacking party workers.
While MC work and public dealing remained suspended after lunch as employees blocked the entrance to the office, demanding registration of a police complaint against BJP leaders involved in the incident, the party workers protested carrying placards that accused Yadav of corruption.
BJP workers withdrew their dharna after party’s state president Arun Sood reached the spot and intervened around 3pm, but the MC workers’ protest continued till 5pm, during which they raised slogans against the ruling party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi .
The allegations
The alleged incident took place around 1pm when BJP workers, led by state general secretary Ramveer Bhatti, and employees posted at the MC commissioner’s officer entered into an argument over a meeting with Yadav.
In his police complaint, commissioner’s private secretary Jatin Saini alleged, “Around 1pm, a delegation of 8-10 BJP workers came to meet the MC commissioner. I told them the commissioner was meeting somebody else, and they should wait as they didn’t take prior appointment. At this, they started shouting at me, used abusive language and manhandled me. I was on official duty and he (BJP spokesperson Gaurav Goel) obstructed me in my duty. He also threatened me of dire consequences and to remove me from service.”
A daily diary register (DDR) entry has been made against Goel at the police station in Sector 17.
Threatening an indefinite strike, MC employees have demanded strict action and immediate registration of an FIR. Rakesh Kumar, general secretary, coordination committee of government and MC employees and workers, said: “In case no action is taken against these criminal people, MC employees will go on an indefinite pen down strike from 10am on Wednesday.”
BJP leaders refuted the allegations of manhandling and slapping any employee. BJP state secretary Amit Rana, who was present at the time of ruckus, said: “The party workers were waiting since 11:30am to meet the MC commissioner regarding problems being faced by villagers in the UT. The commissioner came around 1pm, and straight away called a Congress leader. We were told by his PS that he would not meet us. This was followed by heated arguments and some jostling. But there was no incident of a BJP worker slapping an MC employee.”
BJP office-bearers, including Bhatti, Goel and Rana, submitted a counter complaint against Saini to the UT director general of police. They alleged it was Saini who became “aggressive” and started punching and kicking BJP workers, and that “on his instigation, the rest of office persons accompanying him also became even more aggressive and started punching”, leading to injuries to workers.
What high-ups say
Yadav, on his part, said: “We will follow up with police on the complaint made by MC employees, and ensure action is taken as per law.”
On BJP workers accusing him of corruption, he said: “They never said on what basis they are making these allegations. They didn’t even share why they had come to meet me.”
Terming it “simply a matter of miscommunication”, Sood, who is also a former mayor, said: “BJP workers had gone to meet the MC commissioner on an issue of public interest, particularly problems being faced by people in villages. It is not an issue of MC employees versus the party.”
Meanwhile, the Congress condemned the BJP for the incident. In a press statement, Pardeep Chhabra, local unit chief, said: “Over the past five years, BJP leaders and councillors have faced serious complaints of corruption, fighting with officers, accusations of sexual harassment, cheque bounce and even hooliganism, but the party has not learnt any lesson and refuses to take any action against the criminal elements.”
