6 Chandigarh AAP councillors get notice for backing BJP

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Chandigarh, May 3

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today issued a show-cause notice to six of its councillors for extending support to the BJP on the issue of allotment of a tender for sweeping roads.

Allotment of tender for road sweeping

During an MC House meeting on Saturday, AAP councillors had split on a supplementary agenda placed before the House for its “information and approval” on the allotment of a tender for mechanised and manual sweeping of selected roads in southern sectors to Lions Services Ltd.

During the meeting, AAP councillor Yogesh Dhingra raised the issue that the supplementary agenda reached the councillors only on Friday night and in such a situation, a special meeting of the House should be convened. However, BJP councillors were not ready. Finally, when voting was held, a faction of the AAP councillors supported the BJP and got the resolution passed.

Mayor Sarabjit Kaur announced that 19 councillors had voted in support of the agenda. The BJP has only 13 councillors in the House.

In the show-cause notice issued to councillors Jaswinder Kaur (Ward 1), Suman Devi (Ward 4), Poonam (Ward 16), Taruna Mehta (Ward 18), Prem Lata (Ward 23) and Kuldeep Dhalor (Ward 26), AAP Chandigarh convener Prem Garg stated that “this is to bring to your attention that a House meeting was conducted on April 30, with the agenda — work contract for road sweeping to be awarded to M/s Lions Services Ltd”.

“It was clearly discussed that all councillors shall demand deferment of this agenda so that our councillors can procure some time to go through the terms and conditions of the tender,” read the notice. During a discussion on the agenda in the House, AAP leader in the House Yogesh Dhingra demanded a poll.

As discussed in the House meeting, it was made clear that all councillors shall vote against the agenda.

“It has come to our notice that six councillors voted in favour of the agenda along with BJP councillors despite clear guidelines to vote against the agenda. This act of indiscipline is not acceptable and shall be viewed seriously by the party leadership,” Garg said.

“You are hereby directed to send your reply to this notice as to why you voted in favour of the agenda, latest by 1 pm on Thursday afternoon,” the convener said.

The BJP had won all three top posts in the mayoral elections on January 8. Sarabjit Kaur was elected the Mayor, Dalip Sharma Senior Deputy Mayor and Anup Gupta the Deputy Mayor.

In the 35-member MC House, AAP has 14 councillors, the BJP 13, the Congress seven and the SAD one. During the elections, 28 votes were polled as the Congress and the SAD abstained and MP Kirron Kher voted in favour of the BJP candidate.

Sarabjit won by one vote. Both the BJP and AAP had an equal number of 14 votes. Sarabjit polled 14 votes while AAP candidate secured 13 votes, as one vote was declared invalid.

Similarly, for the Senior Deputy Mayor’s post, BJP’s Dalip Sharma won by two votes. Sharma polled 15 votes. One cross-vote by AAP helped the BJP win the post. For the post of Deputy Mayor, luck favoured BJP’s Anup Gupta, who won through a draw of lots after he and AAP candidate were tied at 14:14.

‘Act of indiscipline’

It has come to our notice that six councillors voted in favour of the agenda along with BJP councillors despite clear guidelines to vote against the agenda. This act of indiscipline is not acceptable and shall be viewed seriously by the party leadership. — Prem Garg, city convener of AAP