AAP says MCD budget passed ‘illegally’, civic body hits back
AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said the officers appointed by the BJP-led central government have passed the MCD Budget in a “secret manner, treacherously and dishonestly”
The Aam Admi Party on Friday alleged that the central government-appointed bureaucrats in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) have “secretly” passed the civic body’s Budget for 2023-24, even as the civic body denied the claims.
Addressing a press conference, AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “In a secret manner, treacherously and dishonestly, the officers appointed by the BJP-led central government have passed the MCD Budget. Who are they to pass the Budget? if babus (bureaucrats) are so interested in passing budgets, they should come and take part in electoral process,” Bhardwaj said.
MCD Special Officer Ashwini Kumar, who hold the powers of the elected wing, categorically denied AAP’s charges. He said that the Budget has not been passed. “We have not passed the Budget yet. The Budget was presented a couple of weeks ago in accordance with the legal requirements,” he stated.
The allegations comes amid a conflict between the AAP and the BJP over mayoral elections and just two days ahead of a meeting of the MCD House in which the councillors will elect the Mayor, the deputy mayor and six members of the Standing Committee. This will be the third House meeting after results to the MCD elections were announced on December 7.Two previous meetings ended without holding the mayoral polls due to ruckus created by members of the two parties.
In separate of press conferences on Friday, senior AAP functionaries alleged that the passage of Budget by the bureaucrats bypassing the elected councillors was an “experiment to bypass the constitutional and democratic norms”, and it will be replicated in other states if it is allowed to happen.
To be sure, the MCD Budget process starts in December, with the municipal commissioner presenting the proposals before the standing committee. In a normal year, these proposals are discussed in zonal and subject-specific committees, and tabled before the House of councillors in January. According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, the Budget has to be passed by February 15.
This year, however, after the three civic bodies were merged, MCD is under the control of the Special Officer and the commissioner -- both bureaucrats appointed by the Centre. The Special Officer will continue in office until the House elects a Mayor. Senior municipal officials said that if the councillors fail to elect a Mayor in the February 6 meeting as well, the Budget may have to be passed by the Special Officer, creating an unprecedented situation.
AAP MLA Dilip Pandey, in another press conference, alleged that the BJP was “playing games” in MCD. “They are experimenting at micro level on how to destroy the democratic norms, and if successful it will be replicated in other states and at the national level. Unconstitutional approach and dictatorship are being used to kill democracy,” Pandey said. He added that despite people’s mandate being with the AAP, the BJP has prevented the mayoral election by creating a ruckus in a pre-meditated manner and bureaucrats are now being directed to pass the Budget.
In an official statement on Friday evening, MCD said, “In this regard, it is informed that the Budget 2023-24 has not been passed yet and the same is still under consideration. The consideration process will shift to deliberative wing, once Mayor is elected in the elections scheduled for 6th February, 2023. The corporation will complete the Budget exercise latest by 15th February, 2023, as statutorily mandated under DMC Act, 1957.”
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that the AAP leaders were running a misinformation campaign. “AAP leaders have been alleging that municipal officials have passed the MCD Budget bypassing the elected House while the truth is that officials have not passed the Budget yet. Actually, the withdrawal of a petition related to mayor elections was a big embarrassment for the AAP leaders, and therefore, to divert the public attention they began a misinformation campaign. Now, they will continue propagating this issue and will not allow mayoral elections to take place even on February 6.”