City MC resolution wants UT status intact, seeks Assembly
Chandigarh: The municipal corporation here on Tuesday passed a resolution, which states that Chandigarh should remain a union territory and get its own legislative assembly.
The MC resolution also demanded that the Centre intervene and direct the Haryana and Punjab governments "to develop their own independent capital cities".
The development comes as Punjab and Haryana staked claim over Chandigarh. Both Punjab and Haryana state assemblies passed resolutions reiterating their claim over the Union Territory, their joint capital. Only BJP councillors were present in the MC House when the resolution was passed, with those of the Aam Aadmi Party, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal staging a walkout.
Chandigarh Municipal Corporation Mayor Sarabjit Kaur, who is from the BJP, had called a special meeting of the General House of the municipal corporation.
"Keeping in view sentiments of the residents of Chandigarh, its status of Union Territory should be maintained," the MC resolution said.
"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," according to the resolution read out by BJP councilor Maheshinder Singh Sidhu in the House.
The House also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for implementing central service rules in the city, thus "benefiting" its employees.
BJP councillor Harpreet Kaur Babla said Chandigarh belongs to the people of Chandigarh. "It is not a political agenda. It is the voice of the people of Chandigarh," she said. Referring to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's statement of transferring Chandigarh to the state, Babla asked if ever Punjab provided any assistance in any way to Chandigarh.
"Do we want drug mafia and gangsters in Chandigarh like in Punjab," she asked.
"Our sentiments are attached to the cit. Till my last breath, we will not let Chandigarh be transferred to Punjab," said Babla. AAP councillor Prem Lata objected to naming Mann and referring to crime related incidents in Punjab by Babla in the House.
Ruckus followed in the House after AAP and BJP councillors reached the Well of the House.
Babla asked protesting councillors to clear their stand on the Chandigarh issue.
Aam Aadmi Party MC councillors raked up the issue of recent water tariff hike to take on the BJP in the House. BJP councillors flashed posters mentioning "Chandigarh neither belongs to Bhagwant Mann, nor to Arvind Kejriwal, Chandigarh belongs to the people of Chandigarh".
