New Delhi: Senior leaders of the BJP-led civic bodies today condemned statements coming from the Delhi government side conjecturing "taking over" of the cash-strapped EDMC by the AAP administration and alleged the move was "totally undemocratic" and "politically?motivated".
Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia yesterday had said that the Delhi government would be happy to "take over" the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) if the civic body was unable to handle it, setting the AAP and the BJP-led corporations for another showdown.
Chairman Standing Committee of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) Subhash Arya said such a statement by Sisodia "is an attempt by AAP government to take over democratically-elected EDMC by public."
"It?is totally undemocratic," he added.
Arya further claimed that the Deputy CM's statement that "the three corporations failed in financial management and are not able to pay salary to their employees" was baseless and politically motivated.
"Taking over of EDMC by AAP government is an attempt to kill democracy," he said.
Delhi BJP Chief and former Standing Committee Chairman of the SDMC, Satish Upadhyay, has also dismissed the claims of the government as a "childish statement."
"It is a childish statement. Delhi government cannot take over as per the rule...It is totally politically-motivated stand by the AAP government," Upadhyay said.
An AAP official had yesterday said that the Delhi government "is planning to write" to the Lt Governor to begin the process of handing over of the charge of EDMC, which is facing a financial crisis, to improve its condition.
The official had claimed that as per Section 490 of DMC (Delhi Municipal Corporation) Act 1957, Centre can hand over the administrative works of EDMC to Delhi government if the corporation is financially not viable and failing to fulfil its responsibility. "It will be first dissolved and thereafter we will take over the civic body," he had said.
Sources in EDMC, however, said that Section 490 of DMC only talks of dissolution of the civic body and hence it cannot be taken over.
"There is no provision of taking over by the Delhi government in the DMC Act. An amendment would have to be brought in first by the Centre in the Act," the sources said.
Arya further charged that AAP leaders were making municipal corporations "a centre of political gimmicks".
"Manish Sisodia is trying to use undemocratic means by mentioning section for DMC Act, 1957 for EDMC. Charges of corruption in corporation are also baseless," he claimed.
The mayors of the three civic bodies had recently met Kejriwal seeking financial aid, but the AAP government had denied it.
