AAP-BJP again spar over strike by civic body employees

The BJP hit back accusing the AAP government in Delhi of not releasing funds to the municipal corporations.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led municipal corporations in Delhi (MCD) for the ongoing strike by thousands of employees demanding their salaries and accused the civic body of corruption.

NDMC Mayor Jay Prakash speaks to striking doctors of Hindu Rao Hospital who are sitting on protest over the non-payment of salaries, in New Delhi, (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

The BJP hit back accusing the AAP government in Delhi of not releasing funds to the municipal corporations.

Thousands of civic employees, majorly from the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, went on an indefinite strike on Monday against non-payment of salaries and pension. The protesting employees range from engineers, clerical staff and teachers to sanitation workers. Some of them said that they did not receive salaries for around four months now. Last month, doctors and health care workers in MCD hospitals had staged protests on similar grounds.

“If the BJP-ruled MCD cannot give salary to its employees, then it has no moral right to remain in power. If they are not in a position to pay salaries, it is only because of rampant corruption. BJP is only doing politics on the salary of the employees to defame the AAP government. Today, 1.25 lakh employees of all three corporations are on strike for non-payment of salaries, all offices are closed and all the work has been stalled and that is affecting people of Delhi,” said Durgesh Pathak, the AAP’s in charge of municipal affairs.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that work in the municipal corporation offices was not affected and labelled Pathak’s allegations as “false”. He further said, “The municipalities are facing a fund crunch in the first place because the AAP-led Delhi government has not released the money that is due.”