JOIN USCouncillors turn violent in NDMC meet
While Congress and the BJP have been slugging it out politically over the issue of regularisation of 917 unauthorised colonies in the capital, the councillors in North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) almost came to blows in the House meeting on Monday.
Some members of both treasurey and opposition bences pushed and manhandled each other apart from hurling abuses. The ruckus occured after a Congress councillor allegedly snatched some documents from leader of the house, Mahendra Nagpal.
The incident sparked a fury and led to a violent scene in the House where even senior councillors from both sides were seen getting ballistic with each other.
The mayor was forced to end the sesssion and recommended supension of four Congress members from the next three session of House meeting later.
“I have recommended suspension of four opposition members who scaled the table in front of me and disrupted the house proceedings. Despite my repeated requests, they refused to budge. The fact that the Congress supporters from outside entered the House poses a serious threat to the corporation,” North Corporation Mayor Mira Agarwal told reporters.
“I have asked the Commissioner to inquire how outsiders managed to enter the House and to register a case against them after identifying them on seeing the footage of the house proceedings,” she said.
The mayor further demanded that the Union Home Minister and Delhi government should provide security and marshalls as given in the state Assembly and Parliament to check such unruly incidents in future.
The four Congress councillors who have been suspended are Devraj Arora, Parma Bhai Solanki, Ajit Singh Yadav and Harsh Sharma. While Devraj allegedly snatched papers from leader of the house, it was husband of Congress councillor Bhumi Rachhoya who entered the house with his supporters.
While the mayor asked the leader of House to table the short notice on unauthorised colonies being regularised by the Delhi government, the leader of opposition wanted the house to pass a resolution thanking the Delhi CM and Union Minister Kamal Nath for regularising city’s 917 colonies.
With the Mayor refusing to oblige, the opposition members stormed into the well of the house and started raising slogans. Opposition members, around eight in number, scaled the table of the corporation employees sitting in front of the Mayor. However, the opposition leaders refuted the allegations of the ruling party and accused the mayor of acting in a partisan manner.
“The BJP is playing politics over the issue of regularisation of colonies because of fear of electoral defeat in the next assembly elections. The discussion over the short notice could have been conducted after passing the resolution of thanking Delhi government as introduced by our Congress councillors,” said leader of opposition, Mukesh Goel.
Goel refuted the charge of calling Congress supporters from outside. “Rachhoya entered the house only after the proceedings got over,” Goel said. The leader of opposition further clarified that the Congress councillor who has been accused of snatching papers from leader of house was, in fact, following the Mayor’s instructions. “The mayor asked for papers through gestures. He got an impression that she is asking for papers. so, he took it from Mahendra Nagpal and gave it to the Mayor,” Goel said.
The BJP has filed a complaint with Kamla Market police station against Chhatar Singh Rachhoya for entering the House without following rules.