The Hindu : Controversy over election of MCD Leader of House

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 15, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Controversy over election of MCD Leader of House

By Lalit K. Jha

NEW DELHI, JAN. 14. The election of the Congress Councillor from Mehrauli, Satbir Singh, as the Leader of the House in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, has run into a "controversy'' with "serious doubts'' arising over his official status.

It is reliably learnt that the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president, Prem Singh, has yet "not'' given the official letter in this regard to Mr. Satbir Singh who had challenged his authority to appoint the Deputy Leader of House in the MCD. The DPCC president is also understood to be seeking an explanation from Satbir Singh for challenging his authority.

Neither the Delhi Mayor, Ashok K. Jain, nor the Municipal Secretary, Vishnu Swaroop Sharma, has received any such letter from the DPCC president putting a question mark over his official status.

While maintaining that he was the Leader of the House and was duly elected in the MCD House meeting on January 12, Mr. Satbir Singh conceded that so far he has not received any official letter from the DPCC president. The two Deputy Leaders of the House, Memwati Barwala, and Jagdish Pradhan, have received official letters from the DPCC president and the same was the case with the chief whip, Ashok Jain.

"I have not received any letter from the DPCC president. But the letter was faxed to the office of the Municipal Secretary the same day. A press release also was issued by the DPCC. So there should be no doubt at all who the Leader of House is,'' he said. On Tuesday, at his maiden press conference, he had termed "undemocratic'' the decision of the DPCC president to nominate two Deputy Leaders without seeking his consent. He had also refused to recognise them as his Deputies saying, "I will talk to the party high command in this regard.''

When contacted, the Municipal Commissioner, Vishnu Swaroop Sharma, confirmed that he has not received any letter or fax from the DPCC. "The Mayor's Office might have received the letter, which would be sent to us in due course. Anyhow, as the Leader of House is not a statutory post, it is not mandatory to send a letter in this regard,'' he said.

The Mayor, Ashok K. Jain, also denied receiving any letter in this regard from the DPCC president. It is understood that Mr. Jain refused to accept an order of the DPCC president about four nominations including the Leader of House on January 12 by stating the Mayor's office was not competent authority to make such announcements. Following this, Ram Babu Sharma announced the said DPCC order at the meeting of the Congress Councillor's party minutes before MCD House meeting.

The post of the Leader of the House became vacant after election of Mr. Sharma to the Delhi Assembly last month.

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