NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Raja Iqbal Singh criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday for the prolonged delay in holding the mayoral elections in Delhi, blaming the party for the six-month postponement.
His comments came after AAP national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the MCD to hold the elections without further delay.
Kejriwal, in his recent appeal to the ruling authorities in the MCD, advocated for electing a Dalit community member as Mayor.
He also alleged that the elections were delayed due to “conspiracies” by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which he claimed sought to deprive the Dalit community of its rightful representation.
Responding to these claims, Raja Iqbal said, “The Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act clearly states that the third term for the Municipal Corporation’s mayor should go to a person from the Dalit community. So, what does Arvind Kejriwal have to say about this? He’s just a ‘dramebaaz,’ putting on a show and making baseless statements.”
Iqbal also accused Delhi Chief Minister Atishi of failing to push for the elections. “Now Atishi is sitting in the Chief Minister’s seat. But she didn’t press the Lieutenant Governor to conduct the mayoral election. The AAP doesn’t want the elections to happen,” he said.
He went on to accuse AAP of intentionally delaying the elections to deny the Dalit community its rightful position, saying, “The AAP has taken away six months of the Dalit community’s rightful term... They’re putting on a show demanding elections, but I ask, who stopped them from conducting the elections earlier?”
Meanwhile, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi, at an event on Wednesday, quoted a letter from former Chief Minister Kejriwal, which read, “...I request the immediate conduct of the mayoral elections so that the Dalit community gets its due.”