New Delhi: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday accused the BJP of corruption in civic bodies saying the Delhi government paid Rs 2,588 crore to the MCDs till December but the BJP that administers them still has not paid salaries to its employees —some pending for at least four months.
Speaking at a press conference here, Sisodia said the Delhi government has given 75 per cent of the total budget reserved for the MCDs in three installments and the rest 25 per cent is due in January.
"As per the budget, the Delhi government should give the MCDs Rs 3,488 crores, of which Rs 2,588 crore have been paid till December. The final 25 per cent of the money is due in January, but the MCD employees haven't been paid their salaries," Sisodia said.
Sisodia's sharp remarks came as both the North and East MCDs have come out to declare empty coffers — seeking funds from the Delhi government — alleging that their allocation was reduced in the revised budget estimate. While the North MCD has sought L-G Anil Baijal's intervention in the matter, East MCD councillors on Monday marched to the Delhi Secretariat demanding funds.
The North MCD has said that it is left with just Rs 3.5 crore as of December 1 and the East MCD has said they have just Rs 1.5 crore cash in hand. While the East civic body needs nearly Rs 1,000 crore more to make basic payments till the end of this fiscal, the North MCD needs a little more than Rs 2,000 crore at least.
Sisodia on Monday added that the Delhi government has not even deducted any amount for the loans it gave to these bodies and that they owe the government Rs 6,889 crore.
"Since Arvind Kejriwal govt came into power in 2015, we haven't taken the loan amount back from the MCDs. The BJP embezzled Rs 6,889 crore, there is no accountability for the Rs 2,588 crore, and then they say there is no money," the AAP leader said.
He also alleged that the BJP is busy making money through corruption in the MCDs. "I will give you some examples of how deeply BJP is involved in corruption in the MCD. It is involved in Rs 2500 crore rent scam, Rs 1800 crore house tax scam, and Rs 1800 crore property tax scam," Sisodia said. The deputy CM also accused BJP of making Rs 10,000 crore through illegal parking in Delhi.
Responding to Sisodia's allegations, Delhi BJP Spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the amount disbursed by the Delhi government for the fiscal year 2021-2022 was in fact fixed for in 2012 which has since doubled after the third, fourth, and fifth Delhi Finance Commission's recommendations.
Denying other allegations as "baseless", Kapoor added that the North DMC has not sold any car parking and it is getting them constructed under PPP Model.