Delhi: Row as South MCD directs officials not to share info with assembly panel

The resolution was passed by the BJP-ruled civic body on the back of questions raised by an AAP MLA in the assembly regarding the hoardings in Delhi being used by the saffron party. The question was later transferred to Privilege Committee of the assembly

New Delhi: The South Delhi Municipal Corporation’s (SDMC) standing committee on Friday passed a resolution directing the municipal commissioner and other officials to not share information sought by the Delhi Assembly, attracting sharp criticism from the Aam Aadmi Party which said the resolution was in contempt of the House.

Senior AAP leader and party spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said the SDMC resolution “has no basis”. (HT Archive)

The resolution was passed by the BJP-ruled civic body on the back of questions raised by an AAP MLA in the assembly during its last session on January 3-4 regarding the hoardings in Delhi being used by the saffron party. The question was later transferred to the Privilege Committee of the assembly.

While the SDMC officials argued that “endless queries” were affecting day-to-day work, the AAP shot back saying it was an excuse for escaping accountability. North and East MCDs have not raised any objections to the Delhi assembly move so far.

According to the resolution, a copy of which HT has seen, the Delhi assembly was not competent to seek the information after the 2020 amendment to the GNCTD Act, 1991. According to the amended law that was notified in April last year, the “government” in Delhi means the “Lieutenant Governor” and the city government will now have to seek the opinion of the LG before taking any executive action. The Delhi government has challenged the amendment in the Supreme Court.

BJP councillor and leader of the SDMC House Inderjeet Sehrawat, said: “SDMC has submitted requisite information and documents in response to various starred and unstarred questions. However, the privilege committee has alleged non-receipt, unsatisfactory and incomplete replies by the SDMC and... attempts are being made to interfere in the day-to-day administrative functioning of SDMC, which is not permitted under the law. Most of the information sought by the assembly has nothing to do with the public interest, but it is in the nature of questioning administrative decisions taken with the due approval of competent authorities under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act.”

Senior AAP leader and party spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said the SDMC resolution “has no basis”.

“The South MCD standing committee’s proposal is in contempt of the Delhi Vidhan Sabha. An AAP MLA asked in the Vidhan Sabha whether the BJP pays the MCDs for all the advertisements it puts up in Delhi. The MCD commissioner replied saying he has no information on it. If at all the BJP paid the MCD for all its hoardings then it must clarify what amount it has been charged. Today, the MCD is being driven to its doom because the BJP puts up hoardings for free,” he alleged.

“Following due process, this matter was sent to a committee. The same is done in Parliament too when a question is unresolved. If any question is answered falsely, then it goes against the privileges of the Delhi Vidhan Sabha, and is considered contempt. The query was handed over to the committee through a resolution in the House,” Bharadwaj added.

According to the SDMC resolution, the mayor should be authorised to file a civil writ petition before the Delhi high court in the matter, if required.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the South MCD’s decision was “logical”. “The government is not implementing the 4th & 5th Delhi Finance Commission recommendations regarding funds for MCDs, which it has accepted in Delhi assembly... When the Delhi government does not respect the Delhi assembly then, how does it expect South MCD to answer politically motivated questions on hoardings raised in the same assembly?” he said.