Congress councillors hold sit-in outside Delhi Mayor's office over alleged 'sexist' remarks in MCD House

New Delhi: The women councillors from the Congress on Wednesday held a sit-in outside Mayor Shelly Oberoi's office over alleged "sexist" comments passed against them by a councillor during the MCD House meeting and demand an open apology from the member and his suspension.

After the protest went on for nearly two hours, the mayor and leader of the House Mukesh Goel met the women councillors and assured them that the recording of the House would be checked to identify the accused and action would be taken for the derogatory remarks, an MCD official said.

Delhi Congress Chief Arvinder Singh Lovely condemned the incident saying that some councillors "misbehaved" with women councillors in the House and the protest was called off after an assurance was given by the mayor that the CCTV footage would be checked by Monday to take action against the accused.

Extending support to the protest by the Congress councillors, the BJP also demanded the suspension of the accused member and threatened to stage a protest if action is not taken against him.

"Mayor should dismiss the guilty councillor, otherwise the BJP will protest," the leader of the opposition, Raja Iqbal Singh, said in a statement.

The women Congress councillors alleged that a councillor had passed derogatory remarks against them and asked them if they took "money", while they were raising public issues during the meeting.

They alleged that the councillor asked them to bring the issues to him if they wanted them resolved.

After the session concluded, the Congress councillors held a gherao of the mayor over the issue. They alleged that some councillors misbehaved with them when they were trying to speak to the mayor.

The women councillors have demanded an open apology from the accused and his suspension by Monday.

"We have been assured that action will be taken by Monday. If our demands are not met by that time, we will again sit outside the mayor's office to protest," councillor Ariba Khan told PTI.

Earlier in the day, the BJP and Congress councillors disrupted the MCD House meeting with their protests over the non-formation of a standing committee and increased house tax.

The House met at 2.19 pm amid sloganeering by the opposition councillors.

The Congress councillors raised slogans against the Aam Aadmi Party and held placards with demands such as "constitute the standing committee" and "rollback house tax" written on them.

Bharatiya Janata Party councillors raised the issue of stray dogs in Delhi and asked that data regarding dog bites in the city should be released.

Meanwhile, the MCD House on Wednesday passed 17 proposals, postponed three and referred back two of the total 22 proposals tabled in the meeting.