AAP to hold mohalla sabhas to highlight corruption in MCDs

The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday announced it will hold 2,500 mohalla sabhas (public meetings) across Delhi between January 7 and 15 to highlight the alleged rampant corruption within the three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled municipal corporations (MCDs).

Addressing a press conference, senior AAP leader and MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak said through these meetings, the Arvind Kejriwal led party will apprise the people of Delhi about the alleged “scams done by the BJP” during its tenure of 15 years in the civic bodies. He said the party has identified around 600 speakers who will address these mohalla sabhas. Pathak said members such as AAP MLAs, councillors, district in-charges, Lok Sabha in-charges, sangathan mantris and ward in-charges have been trained by the party to communicate with people during these public gatherings.

“In the last 15 years, the BJP has transformed MCD to a den of corruption. Be it the Rs 2,500 crore scam about the north MCD waiving off dues of the South MCD or the fodder scam or Rs.1,400 crores house tax scam or Rs 180 crores scam, in every case the AAP has presented proper documents to expose the BJP‘s corruption. Now the AAP wants to take these issues within the MCD to every single citizen of Delhi,” said Pathak.

In a statement, the party said the AAP will go door-to-door and apprise the people regarding these alleged scams done by the BJP. A senior party official said the campaign will be crucial for the AAP as MCD elections in Delhi are scheduled next year.

“We will invite every citizen of Delhi to attend these mohalla sabhas. We will ask for the suggestions from the people of Delhi on the matters of corruption by the BJP. We will ask the people to give their opinion about the facts like the non-performance of the BJP ruled MCD. We will ask them about their opinion on how the BJP-ruled MCD has transformed Delhi into a Garbage Capital.”

The BJP said the AAP, like also political parties is free to push its agenda.

“But it is really shocking to see that the AAP’s politics always revolves around baseless allegations against the BJP ruled civic bodies. The AAP is running the Delhi government and if it feels that MCDs are corrupt then they should order an inquiry against the civic bodies through the local bodies wing of its urban development department or through any independent agency like CBI,” said Delhi BJP Spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor.

“On December 11, 2020, minister Satyendar Jain had announced that he has asked additional chief secretary of the urban development department to conduct an inquiry into a Rs. 2,500 crore scam related to a rent dispute between the North and South civic bodies and give report in 2 days. Over 3 weeks have lapsed and Delhi is yet to see any inquiry report, this is so because no scam took place. It’s a dirty political campaign by AAP to tarnish image of BJP ruled civic bodies,” the Delhi BJP said in a statement.