For Dikshit, division could prove divisive

In a development that could turn out to be a major irritant, after the BJP, the Delhi unit of the Congress has upped the ante against Sheila Dikshit-led Delhi Government for approving the proposal to split MCD into smaller units. Atul Mathur reports.

In a development that could turn out to be a major irritant, after the BJP, the Delhi unit of the Congress has upped the ante against Sheila Dikshit-led Delhi Government for approving the proposal to split MCD into smaller units.

HT Image

Congress leaders said Dikshit should have consulted the party and its workers before taking a decision that may affect party fortunes, especially when the elections to the municipal body are less than a year away.

Critical of the MCD’s functioning, the Delhi Government has been proposing its division for almost a decade now. Several committees have been formed in the past to study it.

The Ashok Kumar Walia committee recently gave its recommendations, which the Delhi Cabinet approved.

It had also taken reports of the VK Malhotra Committee and the Deshbandhu Committee into consideration and broadly based its recommendations on them.

“It is a major policy decision. The Delhi Government should have first brought the proposal to its own party and discussed it with ground-level party workers, councillors and other party leaders. How can she (Sheila Dikshit) take unilateral decisions without even taking the party leadership (senior party leaders and Congress president Sonia Gandhi) into confidence,” said a former Congress MLA, requesting anonymity.

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Jai Prakash Aggarwal said he had not seen the recommendations. “I would like to discuss the recommendations with PCC members, councillors, MLAs and MPs and then react,” Aggarwal said.

Congress workers, however, said Dikshit ignored the democratic functioning of the party and acted as “Supremo”.

“She did not even call the meeting of the Congress Legislative Party in this regard. We won’t let this proposal go to the Centre unless we examine if it will (adversely) affect the party,” said a DPCC member.