New Delhi, April 8 A political row erupted on Wednesday over the tenure of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD) standing committee, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleging its premature curtailment and Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh rejecting the claim as "baseless and misleading".
Responding to the allegations, the Delhi mayor, in a statement, asserted that the claims were unfounded and said, "Allegations regarding the tenure of the Standing Committee are baseless and misleading," while clarifying the legal context.
He pointed out that, according to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act of 1957, 50 per cent of the members of the Standing Committee retire after one year.
"As per Section 45(3) of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 50 per cent of the members of the Standing Committee retire upon completion of one year," he said.
In a press conference, the AAP alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had prematurely dissolved the MCD standing committee to "enable corruption" and demanded that it be allowed to continue its work until June 12 to prevent disruption in civic projects.
Earlier, addressing at the party headquarters, MCD co-incharge Praveen Kumar said the standing committee, whose term was to end on June 12, had been curtailed to March 31 through a proposal brought by the ruling party.
The mayor emphasised that the standing committee had neither been dissolved nor its operations impacted. He clarified that the committee consists of 18 members, with nine members retiring annually as per the established rules, followed by re-election through mayoral and ward committee elections.
Kumar had alleged that the BJP dissolved the standing committee in the MCD "three months in advance to carry out corruption worth crores of rupees."
He stressed the committee's vital role in passing budgets and approving major projects, asserting that its absence would impede decision-making.
"By limiting the tenure of the committee, which was ending on June 12, there will now be no meetings, and the BJP will run the MCD in an authoritarian manner," Kumar had alleged.
Kumar also claimed that an earlier rule framed during the BJP's tenure did not allow the dissolution of the committee before the completion of one year or the formation of a new panel.
The mayor claimed that the AAP, which "failed to constitute the standing committee during its tenure," was trying to mislead the public and create confusion by spreading rumours.
He reiterated that the retirement of members after one year is a “regular and constitutional process" and assured that the committee continues to function smoothly, with all activities being conducted in accordance with the rules.
