Delhi BJP launches drive against AAP over corporation funds

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

The Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday held a “public awareness” campaign to inform people that the Delhi government owes the three municipal corporations ruled by the party Rs 13,000 crore and demanded immediate release of this fund.

Delhi BJP leaders stage a protest demanding the release of corporation funds, near the AAP office in New Delhi on December 22. (PTI FILE)

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta, along with MPs and other senior leaders, held a protest at the booth level, 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 worth Rs13,000 crore to the corporations.” After the mayors and BJP councillors called off their protest outside Delhi chief minister Arvind kejriwal’s residence in December, the BJP has said that they will continue the protest in a different form.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana said that this protest was part of the BJP’s continuous campaign to demand its dues from the government. “The corporations have been facing huge 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 be going from door-to-door to distribute pamphlets to inform people how the government owes the corporations Rs 13,000 crore.”

Khurana said that the party aims to connect with five million people during its campaign.

Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has denied the allegations. The party has in the last few weeks accused the BJP of a 2500 crore scam in the civic bodies.

In a statement, the AAP said, “Due to the rampant corruption of the BJP ruled corporations in the last 15 years, today they have no other way of spreading a lie regarding the AAP government. The claim that the AAP govt owes an imaginary Rs 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 in profit and if the citizens of Delhi give us the responsibility, we will do the same in the municipal corporations.”