The AAP on Friday alleged that the Congress and the BJP were hand in glove as all the nine councillors from the Congress party staged a walkout to favour the saffron party after the clash at the first House meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). They also alleged that the BJP has paid Rs 50 lakh to each Congress councillor to support the BJP in the mayoral election.
The AAP leaders further alleged that the decision to administer oath to aldermen before elected councillors was the BJP's "ploy" to get them voting rights.
The party had earlier also alleged that the L-G appointed BJP men as aldermen instead of experts on civic matters.
AAP senior leader Sanjay Singh questioned, “Why does Amit Shah want to bulldoze his way into the MCD? Why is BJP attempting to give voting powers to aldermen? BJP goons attacked AAP councillor Praveen Kumar for demanding the oath of elected councillors to be held first as per MCD's tradition.” “The Congress and the BJP are involved in this together as all nine councillors from the Congress party staged a walkout to favour the BJP. Why would the Congress support the BJP you may think?
This is because earlier, the Congress leader Naziya was appointed as the chairman of the Haj Committee by the L-G on a resolution that was supported by the BJP,” Singh added.
“Money was exchanged to get the Congress councillors to support the BJP in the MCD and Rs 50 lakh were paid for each councillor and therefore Rs 4.5 crore have been given to the Congress by the BJP,” he alleged. AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj claimed that nominated members (aldermen) never cast their votes in the MCD House.
"Neither in the election of the Mayor or the Deputy Mayor. They are not allowed to cast votes for standing committee members as well. The BJP is trying to increase the number of its votes by wrong means," he alleged.
“The national Capital is watching this gundagardi of the BJP and L-G,” said Bhardwaj warning the saffron party that they are “not the Congress. The AAP knows how to take on and defeat the biggest party of the country.”
Recalling the incident, AAP councillor Praveen Kumar said that when the elected members from the AAP came up to take their oath of office in the MCD, the BJP had already planned the attack.
“As per that plan, they first got their aldermen, who have basically been nominated to the MCD to act like goons, to come up to take the oath of office. I am a two-time councillor and I was aware of this. So, when I objected to this, the Aldermen and other BJP councillors began to physically assault me,” Kumar said.
Kumar alleged that the memento which is used to take the oath of office was thrown at me. “I used my hands to save myself and in the process injured my hands. It could have hit my head as well. After that around 20-25 of them physically attacked me and some members even tried to choke me. They even tore my clothes in the assault,” Kumar added.