New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s House meeting was once again adjourned within 35 minutes on Friday without any discussion on civic issues as repeated disruptions by councillors across all parties brought proceedings to a standstill.Soon after the House convened, BJP councillors began sloganeering against Atishi, leader of opposition in Delhi assembly, for allegedly insulting a Sikh Guru. AAP councillors entered the well of the House, raising slogans of “BJP sharam karo” and “Kapil Mishra istifa do”, alleging the circulation of a doctored video by him.
Amid the chaos, mayor Raja Iqbal Singh passed items on the agenda and adjourned the House for 10 minutes. However, when proceedings resumed, the disruptions continued.The situation further escalated when Congress councillors sought an immediate discussion on the demolition drive near Faiz-e-Illahi Masjid in Turkman Gate. They termed the action “haphazard” and alleged that it had been carried out without consulting locals.The mayor declined to allow an immediate discussion, saying that issues could not be taken up “randomly”. Congress councillor Ariba Khan, who had raised the issue, strongly objected to Singh’s language, calling it inappropriate and unconstitutional. She climbed onto the mayor’s dais, demanding an apology, and continued her protest.“As soon as I raised the issue of demolition near the mosque, the mayor said, ‘aise bhed-bakriyon ki tarah baat nahi hoti, mai LoP ko address karunga’. We are elected councillors representing people, and comparing us to animals and trivialising our concerns are completely unacceptable,” Khan said.While the mayor apologised on the floor of the House, saying that he took his words back and his only intention was to ensure serious debate on issues related to the public, he later clarified at a press conference that action against illegal construction and encroachment would continue.The mayor alleged that opposition councillors were deliberately creating disorder to evade accountability. “A condemnation resolution was to be read out against the insult to Sikh Gurus by AAP’s Atishi, and a discussion was proposed on the growing problem of illegal parking since AAP took over the corporation. To divert attention, AAP councillors created chaos. We will not hesitate to lodge FIRs if required. Action against illegal construction is a must, especially when it is directed by the court,” he said.Senior Congress councillor Naziya Danish countered the mayor’s claims, saying illegal construction continued unchecked across the city.AAP councillors demanded the mayor’s resignation, calling his remarks against a woman councillor (Ariba Khan) “unacceptable”.“On the one hand, BJP gives slogans like ‘beti bachao, beti padhao’, while on the other, their mayor — the first citizen of Delhi — refers to women councillors as ‘sheep and goats’. This is shameful,” said Ankush Narang, AAP councillor and leader of opposition in the House. “The dignity of the mayor’s office must be upheld — not just in Delhi, but before the entire country that watches MCD proceedings,” he added.
