Ahmedabad, March 30 The Congress on Monday released a "chargesheet" against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation elections, alleging widespread corruption, poor civic infrastructure, and anti-people policies.
Elections to the AMC and several other civic and local bodies across Gujarat are expected to be announced next month.
Addressing a press conference here, Congress leaders said that despite being in power for over 20 years in the civic body, the BJP had "miserably failed" in providing basic amenities to citizens.
Senior Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar, who unveiled the "chargesheet", claimed that the BJP's governance model was driven by "commission, cut, and scams".
"The BJP has a 'triple-engine' government, but it operates based on commission, cut, and scams. Residents of Ahmedabad are facing immense hardships due to rampant corruption and mismanagement. Roads in the city get flooded every monsoon, sewage issues persist, and unplanned construction has worsened traffic congestion," said Parmar, who represents the Danilimda assembly seat in the city.
He also criticised infrastructure projects, claiming that corruption was evident in projects such as the development of the Kharicut canal and the construction and subsequent demolition of the Hatkeshwar bridge due to poor quality.
The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Hospital, built at a huge cost, primarily caters to the affluent while experiencing a decline in patient footfall, Parmar added.
Ahmedabad City Congress president Sonalben Patel accused the BJP-led civic body of failing to deliver basic services such as water supply, sewerage, and roads despite having a budget worth crores of rupees.
"The BJP is burdening citizens with rising taxes while failing to provide essential facilities. There are irregularities even in areas such as the procurement of firewood. Authorities are insensitive to public hardships. They target the poor through demolition drives while ignoring corruption by contractors," she alleged.
Patel claimed that the historic V.S. Hospital had been reduced to ruins to benefit private healthcare players.
Former Ahmedabad mayor and ex-MLA Himmatsinh Patel said that the BJP's long rule had resulted in destruction in the name of development.
"Public money is going into the pockets of corrupt leaders and contractors. Ahmedabad has turned into a pothole capital, and even primary health centres lack basic facilities. Municipal schools are being weakened to encourage private education, adversely affecting children from economically weaker sections," he said.
Congress leaders said that the party had also released similar "chargesheets" in Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, and Jamnagar.
