AAP protests outside BJP headquarters
New Delhi: The AAP on Monday held a protest outside the BJP headquarters here over the aldermen nominated by the Lt Governor to the MCD House being administered oath before the elected representatives and accused the saffron party of flouting rules. The protest was led by Delhi minister Raaj Kumar Anand, AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj and party leader Adil Ahmad Khan.
On January 6, the maiden meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House was adjourned without electing mayor and deputy mayor as BJP and AAP councillors exchanged heated words and came to blows over presiding officer Satya Sharma administering oath to the aldermen first and not the elected representatives. Only four aldermen could take oath before the House plunged into chaos. The AAP alleged that the BJP made the aldermen take oath first in order to get them voting rights for the mayor and deputy mayor elections.
"We are here to protest against what was done on January 6. We eel that these nominated aldermen were administered oath first as they might be given voting rights. We want a statement from the LG that they will not vote and only then our protest will end," said AAP's mayoral candidate Shelly Oberoi. Lt Governor V K Saxena had nominated 10 aldermen to the MCD House on January 3.
The AAP had alleged that all the nominated members were BJP workers and the civic body sent their names directly to Saxena without keeping the city government in the loop. Aldermen refers to people who are experts in their fields. However, they do not have voting rights in the mayoral election.
The Delhi BJP on Monday staged a massive protest near Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence over the "ruckus created by AAP councilors" during a meeting last week of municipal corporation House. Led by their working president Virendra Sachdeva, a large number of Delhi BJP leaders and workers raised slogans against the Aam Aadmi Party and its convener, Kejriwal.
Police stopped them while they were heading to the chief minister's residence from the Chandgiram Akhara, not far from Kejriwal's official house.