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MCD panel seeks report on CM's properties

Staff Reporter

Congress Councillors clash with BJP member Vijender Gupta over the issue

NEW DELHI: The all-powerful Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Wednesday directed Municipal Commissioner A.K. Nigam to submit a status report about the properties of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, her MP son Sandeep Dikshit, and some other relatives against whom charges of carrying out illegal and unauthorised constructions have been levelled by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Committee Chairman Mukesh Goel asked Mr. Nigam to submit the status report at the Committee meeting scheduled for Thursday after the ruling Congress Councillors and opposition BJP member Vijender Gupta clashed over the issue. Mr. Gupta on Wednesday had alleged that Ms. Dikshit, her son who is the Congress MP from East Delhi, and a relative had either carried out unauthorised constructions or illegally bought properties at Nizamuddin in South Delhi, charges that were refuted by the Chief Minister.

Raising the issue at the Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday, Congress Councillor Farhad Suri along with some of his party members lambasted Mr. Gupta for levelling baseless charges against Ms. Dikshit and asked him to immediately tender a public apology. However, Mr. Gupta claimed that he was in possession of all the documents that proved that his charges were correct and that Ms. Dikshit had misused his position to benefit herself and her family members.

Demanding an inquiry into the whole episode, the BJP Councillor said if his charges were proved baseless, he would resign from the civic body. And if the Chief Minister was proved guilty, she should be sacked, Mr. Gupta demanded. This led to heated exchanges between the Congress and the BJP, and the Standing Committee Chairman had to intervene by asking the Municipal Commissioner to file a status report on the same within 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Delhi, Satbir Singh, has also demanded a through probe into the allegations levelled against the Chief Minister. Stating that anyone who was found guilty would not be spared, Mr. Singh said Ms. Dikshit should come out clear on the issue as it affected the image of the Congress.

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