BJP says unification is in interest of residents, staff

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta hit out at the AAP government in Delhi for making the corporations financially weak by not giving them funds on time for the past seven years.

Welcoming the Centre’s decision to introduce a Bill in Parliament next week to merge the three municipal corporations in Delhi, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that this will help the civic body provide better services to the citizens and pay regular salary to its employees.

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta. (HT Photo)

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta hit out at the AAP government in Delhi for making the corporations financially weak by not giving them funds on time for the past seven years.

Gupta said, “This (unification) is only going to strengthen the civic body and the unified corporation will be able to provide better services to the people. We welcome the decision. The Delhi government has made the corporations financially weak by not giving funds in the past seven years. With this decision, 2.5 lakh employees will be able to get salaries on time.”

AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj tweeted that it was a ploy to delay the MCD elections, “Unification of 3 MCDs could have been done long back and could have been done anytime. This is simply a ploy to delay the pending elections of MCD. BJP is scared of losing MCD elections in Delhi,” he tweeted.

BJP MLA Vijender Gupta hit back, saying, “They have said that it could have been done anytime. This means they are not against unification. How can elections be held for trifurcated corporations when the three corporations will cease to exist post-unification? There are administrative issues which have to be addressed.”

Former Union minister and Congress general secretary Ajay Maken on Monday tweeted saying that this could have been done six months earlier to prevent any delay in elections.

Maken tweeted, “…Union Government should have brought this bill at least six months earlier to prevent any delay in elections... The Union and State Government should not enter into a new blame game and ensure holding of MCD elections as soon as possible.”

Gupta said the financial problems being faced by the three civic bodies is a creation of the Congress, which was in power both at the Centre and the state when the MCD was trifurcated in 2012.