The Hindu : New Delhi News : Majority of Councillors resent rule of the few

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 27, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Majority of Councillors resent rule of the few

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 26. The "monopolisation" of the decision making process by a select group of powerful Councillors of the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has deprived a `majority' of elected representatives in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi of a say in the affairs in the civic body.

This has resulted in resentment among the Councillors who allege that they have been merely reduced to spectators. "I fail to understand why I was elected a Councillor? What is my role?" asked a first time Congress Councillor from South Delhi.

The Councillors alleged that the Leader of the House, Satbir Singh, and the Standing Committee Chairman, Mukesh Goel, was taking all the decisions. "In their coterie are included a lucky few like the Deputy Chairman of Standing Committee, Ashok Jain. Except for these people, no one else is ever consulted on any matter," alleged another Councillor.

Unlike in the past when every meeting of the House was preceded by that of the party Councillors wherein all issues were discussed threadbare and members given an opportunity to express their view, the Councillors complained that such meetings have now become a thing of the past. "Even in the House or the Standing Committee, we are not given an opportunity to express our views or be a part of decision making process," a member of the Standing Committee alleged. "This is the reason why, I have lost interest in the activities of the MCD," the Councillor rued.

Referring to the meetings of the House and Standing Committee and the way in which they were asked to pass an agenda or object to it just because the "boss desired so", the Councillors complained that they now get the feeling that they were part of a herd and nothing more. The resentment is more so among former leaders of the Delhi University Students' Union and the National Students' Union of India. "There are genuine expectations from the people of the Capital from us. But we are not given any opportunity to perform as these leaders fear that we would surpass them if given a chance. So we have been purposely sidelined," alleged a former NSUI leader.

"We are being asked to keep our mouths shut in the name of party discipline, while they have been doing all those things which is going to harm the party in the next municipal elections due in 2007," a Congress Councillor from Shahdara remarked. They alleged that "good speakers" and Councillors who had expertise on various issues were not given a chance to speak either in the House or other meetings. "In every meetings, you will find the same speakers," he alleged.

The situation in the BJP is no better. The Leader of Opposition, Subhash Arya, and the senior party Councillor from Rohini, Vijender Kumar Gupta, are the only two members dominating the scene. "It seems as if there are no other Councillors, except for these two. Be it study tours, opportunity to speak in the House and other meetings, only these two are being allowed. We are just expected to follow them and sign on the dotted line," an agitated BJP Councillors said.

All this, the Councillors alleged, had centralised the decision making process in the MCD. "This is against the vision of our leader Rajiv Gandhi. There is no real grassroots democracy in the Corporation. It is there only for a few leaders to flourish, while the rest of us are mere spectators," the Councillor alleged.

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