JOIN USEven God cannot help Prime Minister Narender Modi if he tries to build a balcony in his house without paying a bribe to corrupt MCD officials, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to highlight the decay in the BJP-ruled civic agencies.
Kejriwal was taking part in an Assembly discussion on MCDs that ended with the adoption of a motion to constitute a committee to inquire into functioning of three BJP-ruled municipal corporations that are facing allegations of corruption and poor all-round performance in the area of sanitation.
“They have reduced the city to a stinking gutter,” said Kejriwal, sarcastically wondering how Modi faces world leaders in clean cities like London, Washington or Tokyo when his country’s capital is stinking.
“Councillors are moving around in Mercedes and own bungalows, while the public is suffering and employees are waiting for their salaries,” said Kejriwal, highlighting the uneasiness among BJP councillors when the Assembly decided to discuss their misdeeds.
He hit out at the BJP councillors and said: “They gobble up all the money we give them to pay wages to sanitation workers.”
“The civic agencies are like wells in which all the money given by the AAP government gets lost,” Kejriwal said, highlighting that his government has doubled the financial support to East Corporation in 2015-16 as compared to the previous year.
“Everytime we question them about insanitary conditions, they come up with the excuse there is not money. Give us funds,” said Kejriwal, pointing to the frequent strikes by sanitation workers.
Speaker Ram Niwas Goel extended the special session’s sitting by one day on Monday to discuss the unfinished agenda, including the probe into the Delhi Cricket Association’s alleged wrongdoings in which Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely has been in the firing line of the ruling AAP.
The sitting of the Assembly on Monday may coincide with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's grilling by the Anti-Corruption Branch that is controlled by the central government.
Kejriwal earlier scoffed at Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta of the BJP for raising alleged corruption issues in the AAP government.
“He shamed the democracy and constitution by standing on his desk in the House. He talks of fighting corruption when his councillor wife herself is facing charges of wrongdoings in distribution of pension in her ward,” he said.
Illegal parking mafia
Chandni Chowk legislator Alka Lamba accused Gupta running illegal parking mafia in old Delhi in collusion with his brother-in-law.
She also accused BJP leaders from Chandni Chowk constitution in running bribe rackets at cremation grounds, libraries and cremation ground at Nigambodh Ghat.Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti described MCDs as “mother of corrupt departments”.
He also moved the motion adopted by the House for constitution the nine-member panel for suggesting measures to improve civic agencies’ administration, sanitation, delivery of service and financial health. The scope of the panel can also be expanded with the Speaker’s consent.
Hari Nagar legislator Jagdeep Singh, Okhla legislator Ammanatullah Khan, Krishna Nagar legislator S K Bagga, Bijwasan MLA Devinder Sehrawat, Sangam Vihar legislator Dinesh Mohania and Rajender Nagar MLA Vijender Garg raised issues of ghost sanitation employees, illegal banquet halls and poor condition of civic schools and hospitals.