NEW DELHI: Almost a week after completing his three-year-term as the state BJP chief, Manoj Tiwari voiced his concern on ‘irregularities’ and ‘malpractices’ in three municipal corporations, which are being run and managed by his party for about 13 years.
The Bhojpuri actor-turned-politician lamented that his idea, ‘digital by default’, for transparency and clean governance, couldn’t be implemented in the municipal bodies despite his best efforts.
Last week, the two-term MP from northeast Delhi handed over the charge of BJP’s Delhi unit chief to former north Delhi Mayor and first time councillor Adesh Kumar Gupta.
Tiwari’s tenure had ended in November but he was asked to continue in the office till assembly elections in February in which BJP suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
“What I am saying is not a secret or new discovery. How does the city have so many unauthorized constructions? Transfer or posting, even of a junior engineer, is managed. I had apprised the senior leadership about the deep-rooted nexus in corporations. Whenever I flagged the issue of corruption, I was isolated,” said the BJP leader.
“I wanted to see Delhi garbage free. This was my resolution, when the party registered a third straight victory in municipal elections in 2017 but couldn’t be implemented,” added Tiwari.
He is not the first BJP leader, who has acknowledged ‘corruption’ in municipal bodies. Several functionaries in Delhi BJP question their functioning frequently but former president of the local unit Vijay Goel has been very vocal and spoken publicly on the issue on occasions.
Ravinder Gupta, general secretary of Delhi BJP, also approved of what Tiwari had stated. “I myself had launched a helpline number to register complaints against bribes in 2015 when I was the north Delhi mayor. Proper records were maintained. We received thousands of complaints and also acted upon them. The chief vigilance officer (CVO) was made incharge of the helpline. Janata Durbars (public hearings) were organised, which were attended by the commissioner,” said Ravinder.
Tiwari was given the responsibility in November 2017 when factionalism in the unit was at its peak. The appointment of a successor was delayed due of riots in Northeast Delhi soon after the elections and lockdown caused by coronavirus.