Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit’s move to constitute a political committee on restructuring of the MCD appears to have split the state unit of the BJP in two camps, with the party leadership making efforts to save face after hurriedly announcing Opposition to the formation of the committee.
The Delhi BJP is apparently split in two camps as senior leaders maintain that the party had been championing the cause of smaller civic bodies since 1996 and this had been part of the party’s manifesto in the Assembly elections since then too.
Delhi BJP leaders in a meeting on Thursday evening decided to wait for the government to notify the terms of reference of the committee before taking any decision to let its two leaders become part of it.
However, it was the former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana who summarised the dissent of a section of leaders by stating in the meeting that the BJP had been for smaller civic bodies since 1996 and now how could the party oppose it.
Mr Khurana reportedly left the meeting while it was in progress.
The section of BJP leaders opposed to the stand of the Delhi BJP chief Vijendra Gupta over the issue maintain that there had been no discussion on the issue in the party forum and it was wrong to rush in to oppose the constitution of the political committee.
“The BJP manifesto too had the issue of regularisation of unauthorised colonies but the party is not opposing when the city government is taking steps in this regard. So, why there is opposition to the committee for restructuring of the MCD,” asked a senior BJP leader.
Mr Gupta, however, stated that the intention of the chief minister is doubtful, as it has come just a year before the MCD election. “We are of the view that the issue be looked in totality and not in a piecemeal manner. I do not deny that small civic bodies had been part of our manifesto but it applies on the party which is in power. The issue is that Delhi government had been on a power grabbing spree from the MCD, which should first be addressed,” Mr Gupta stated.