Ex-Mayor slams ‘corruption’; Cong walks out during budget

The budget session of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation on Friday saw heated exchanges between the ruling-BJP and the Opposition as well as allegations of corruption levelled by a BJP councillor and former Mayor.

High drama prevailed as the Leader of the House Vijay Prakash Pandey presented the budget for 2017-18: the last one for the current term.

As Mr. Pandey was speaking about the achievements of the corporation in the education sector, several Congress councillors interjected.

Mr. Pandey said that all the schools of the corporation had desks for students, to which Congress councillor from Alipur, Aruna Devi, said that there were two schools in her ward where students still sat on the floor.

At this, the BJP councillors asked the Opposition to leave if they didn’t like what they were hearing.

A first for the House

Amid the commotion, the House was adjourned — a first for the budget session.

“The behaviour of the BJP forced us to walk out and boycott the budget session. For the first time, the budget was passed without the Opposition in the House,” said Mr. Goel.

‘BJP against BJP’

Later in the meeting, BJP councillor and former Mayor Yogender Chandolia raised allegations of corruption.

He said that the contract to outsource the working of the Shehnai Banquet Hall, which is in the process of being leased, was mired in irregularities.

Reacting to this, Mr. Goel said that the internal differences within the BJP had spilled out on to the floor of the House.

“The BJP is trying to silence us for long, but now even their own councillors are raising the same concerns,” said Mr. Goel.