Amravati, February 24 The Congress has strongly objected to former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya chairing a meeting at the Amravati Municipal Corporation last week regarding alleged irregularities related to birth and death certificates, and has sought clarification from the civic chief.
Somaiya said on Tuesday that he attended a meeting convened by the Amravati mayor to discuss fraudulent birth certificates.
He questioned whether the Congress was unhappy with the action taken against Bangladeshi Muslims obtaining fraudulent birth certificates.
Amravati city Congress president Bablu Shekhwat wrote to the municipal corporation commissioner. He questioned why the deputy mayor, the leader of the opposition, and group leaders from other political parties were not invited to the meeting held on February 20.
Shekhawat claimed that the civic commissioner, the city mayor, the BJP's leader of the house, and police representatives attended the meeting.
"The municipal corporation is a local self-government institution. Is there any provision or authority under its administrative functioning or meeting procedures to seat a former MP (who is not currently holding any official position) as the chairperson and conduct the meeting?" he asked.
He also asked the civic chief to clarify who is the authorised person to chair such a meeting under the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act, 1949 and related laws.
"Is it appropriate to hold a meeting on such an administrative/sensitive issue without including all party representatives of the municipal corporation and only in the presence of individuals associated with one party?" Shekhawat questioned.
When contacted, Somaiya said that he had informed the mayor of Amravati about some Bangladeshi Muslims suspected of having fraudulent birth certificates.
"The mayor called the meeting, and I was there to attend it and discuss the issue. Is the Congress unhappy with the action against Bangladeshi Muslims obtaining fraudulent birth certificates?" he said.
Targeting the Congress for "opposing" such a drive, Somaiya said that a case has already been filed against 962 people from Amravati for obtaining fraudulent birth certificates, and many of them are Muslims.
"When I started this drive, the Congress did nothing on its own about people obtaining such birth certificates," he said.
Somaiya claimed that 52 FIRs have been registered in 42 cities across Maharashtra.