BJP campaigns to demand MCD funds, AAP hits back

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta along with MPs and other senior leaders held a protest and distributed pamphlets informing people about how the corporations are unable to pay salaries and pension to its employees.

Delhi BJP on Sunday held a public awareness campaign on the funds it claimed the Delhi government owed the three municipal corporations, demanding immediate release of Rs13,000 crore.

Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta with Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and party councillors stages a ‘Satyagrah’ protest demanding the release of the due fund of corporations, near APP office in New Delhi. (PTI/ File photo)

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rubbished the BJP campaign, saying the figure of ₹13,000 crore is “imaginary”.

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta along with MPs and other senior leaders held a protest and distributed pamphlets informing people about how the corporations are unable to pay salaries and pension to its employees.

Gupta said, “We want to tell people of Delhi that the government is not releasing the pending dues to the corporations. This has made the life of the corporation employees difficult. Delhi’s sanitation system, mid-day meal for school children, pension of retired employees, salaries of doctors, pension of elderly and widows, maintenance of parks are affected, but CM Kejriwal is doing nothing to address these problems.”

In December last year, the mayors of the three municipal corporations had sat on an indefinite protest outside Delhi chief minister’s residence. They had to call it off following a Delhi high court order. The BJP had then said that it will continue the protest in a different way.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana said that this protest was part of the BJP’s continuous campaign to demand MCD dues from the government. “The corporations have been facing financial problems and the government has turned a blind eye to their demands. On Sunday, our leaders and party workers protested at the booth level and will now be going from door-to-door to distribute pamphlets to inform people how the government owes the corporations ₹13,000 crore.”

Khurana said that the party aims to connect with 50 lakh people during its campaign.

The AAP said the BJP is spreading lies. “Due to the rampant corruption in the BJP-ruled corporations in the last 15 years, they have no other way of hiding their failures than spreading a lie regarding the AAP government. The claim that the AAP govt owes an imaginary ₹13,000 to the corporations is a mere drama by the BJP. Citizens of Delhi gave BJP the responsibility of the MCD so they were supposed to take care of the sanitation of Delhi; they did not perform their duties but made MCD a den of corruption. AAP has run the Delhi government efficiently and if the citizens of Delhi give us the responsibility, we will do the same in the municipal corporations.”