Uproar during MCD session as BJP, Cong councillors protest
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s November House session passed 18 agendas before adjourning on Wednesday amidst female Congress councillors raising allegations of being disrespected when it was their turn to speak.
The House had initially commenced around 2:20 PM with demands of the formation of Standing and Ward Committees from opposition councillors. Leader of Opposition Raja Iqbal Singh also
raised issues with the implementation of increased House tax and alleged unfair transfer of MCD officials from their positions.
Amidst the uproar, the House approved a proposal to allow 6,589 new positions in the Corporation,
which includes 2,949 security guards and 3,640 sanitation workers.
Additionally, a grant of Rs 2.26 crore has been sanctioned to Hardayal Municipal Public Library in the first phase. This will allow the library employees to receive their salaries after 32 months. 11,000 CCTV cameras have also been approved for installation in the MCD schools for the students’ safety and protection.
During the session, Congress Councillor Shagufta Chaudhury was interrupted multiple times with disrespectful and suggestive comments from the male councillors, following which her party members demanded actions from the Mayor along with an apology from the accused.
Congress Councillor Ariba Khan claimed, “We have faced harassment on multiple occasions but refused to act on it for the sake of the House. We wanted the discussions to continue but the comments made today were deplorable and cannot be ignored. We are yet unaware of the person who made them, and we want the recording to identify them. They should be suspended, and we need written and verbal apologies from them in the House.”
She added that they had attempted to approach the Mayor in her office but were allegedly pushed out by female Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors. They took to protesting outside the Mayor’s office along with a few members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before being called in for a discussion with the Corporation leaders.
“We have been told that by Monday the CCTV footage will be reviewed and actions will be taken accordingly. We want to be present for the reviewing and will not back down until appropriate actions have been taken,” stated Khan.
