Chandigarh MC House passes resolution for UT’s own legislative assembly

Responding to Punjab and Haryana’s claim to Chandigarh, the city’s municipal corporation on Thursday passed a resolution seeking creation of a legislative assembly for Chandigarh, while also demanding that both the governments develop their own independent capitals.

The resolution came primarily from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as all three opposition parties – the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) – chose to leave the House before the matter was put to vote.

The resolution read, “In view of the sentiments of the residents of Chandigarh, its status of Union Territory should be maintained. Rather a state legislative assembly should be constituted in Chandigarh so as to enable the residents to decide about the policies and future of the city themselves. Besides, the Centre should intervene and direct the Haryana and Punjab governments to develop their own independent capital cities.”

It will now be sent to the secretary, local government, Chandigarh, for further action on it.

The BJP mayor, Sarbjit Kaur Dhillon, had called the special House meeting after both Haryana and Punjab assemblies passed resolutions reiterating their claim to Chandigarh, the joint capital of the two states.

The House also passed a resolution thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah for implementation of the central service rules for Chandigarh administration employees, replacing the Punjab service rules.

Adoption of central service rules in the UT had elicited strong criticism from the AAP-led Punjab government that responded with a special assembly session on April 1 and demanded an immediate transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab through a resolution.

In a sharp response four days later, the Haryana assembly on Tuesday also passed a resolution, urging the Centre not to take any step that will disturb the existing balance till all issues emanating from the reorganisation of Punjab were settled, and reiterated its claim to the state capital.

Where the parties stood

On the reason for the AAP walking out of the House, AAP councillor and leader of opposition Yogesh Dhingra said, “Why has the BJP singled out Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal on the issue of Chandigarh’s transfer when the BJP-led Haryana government has made the same demand?”

The AAP also objected to the mayor not allowing discussion on the recently notified water tariff hike. “They (BJP) set aside our demand for a discussion on the water tariff hike, contending it comes under the administration’s jurisdiction. Then how does the status of Chandigarh come under MC’s jurisdiction? It is for the central government to decide.”

Senior deputy mayor Daleep Sharma, who is from the BJP, said, “We have been elected by the people of Chandigarh. We should represent their interests. Punjab and Haryana don’t contribute financially to the city. Our children also don’t get preferences in education and jobs in these two states.”

While the Congress supported continuation of Chandigarh’s status as a UT, it absented from voting on the resolution.

Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabbi said, “We made our point that Chandigarh will remain a Union territory, but MC has no jurisdiction over the issue. Thereafter, we left to join the party’s protest against inflation being staged outside the MC office. The BJP and the AAP are only politicising the issue to divert people’s attention from important issues like deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab, and water tariff hike in Chandigarh.”

Sloganeering, scuffles

Earlier in the day, the House meeting started on a noisy note with a repeat of the pandemonium seen in the last meeting on March 29.

As the meeting began, AAP and BJP councillors confronted each other in the well of the House. Carrying placards, AAP councillors demanded a discussion on the water tariff hike, instead on the status of Chandigarh. BJP councillors responded with placards stating, “Chandigarh is neither of Arvind Kejriwal nor of Bhagwant Mann. Chandigarh belongs to people of Chandigarh.”

Reacting, AAP councillors tried to write the name of Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on the BJP placards.

At one point, councillors of both parties entered into a minor scuffle near the mayor’s seat and were separated by other councillors.

Amid the din, the mayor and the MC commissioner asked councillors to stick to the agenda of the meeting.

How the BJP passed the resolution alone

“As per the Municipal Corporation Act, the quorum necessary for the transaction of business at an MC meeting is one-third of the total number of members, which stands at 12 in the Chandigarh MC House. At the time of voting, all 13 BJP councillors were present, validating the resolution,” said an MC official.

On the AAP and the Congress not being present at the time of voting on the resolution, BJP councillor Maheshinder Singh Sidhu said, “They have left Chandigarh residents in the lurch. During his election rally in Chandigarh, Arvind Kejriwal had said that the AAP will not allow Chandigarh to be transferred to Punjab. Now, the AAP government in Punjab first passed a resolution in the state assembly contrary to this promise and today AAP councillors boycotted the MC resolution.”

Mayor Sarbjit Kaur Dhillon said, “We had called the special meeting to understand what the people of Chandigarh want after Punjab and Haryana staked their claims to the city.”