Backed BJP at Chandigarh MC House meet over 'misunderstanding': AAP Councillors

Tribune News Service

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Chandigarh, May 5

All six councillors of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today submitted their reply to the show-cause notice issued to them by the party for extending support to the BJP during the proceedings of the Municipal Corporation House on April 30.

City AAP convener Prem Garg had issued show-cause notices to councillors Jaswinder Kaur (ward number 1), Suman Devi (ward number 4), Poonam (ward number 16), Taruna Mehta (ward number 18), Prem Lata (ward number 23) and Kuldeep Dhalor (ward number 26) for voting in favour of the agenda item on allotment of tender for sweeping of roads, along with BJP councilors, despite clear guidelines to vote against the agenda.

An AAP office-bearer said the councillors had mentioned in their replies that voting in favour of the agenda was a result of misunderstanding and confusion.

One of the councillors said the agenda item had reached them on the April 29 night and it was a case of miscommunication.

The office-bearer said the UT incharge of the party would take the final call on the reply submitted by the councillors.

During the meeting, AAP councillors split on the 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 the southern sectors to Lions Services Ltd.

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

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

The show-cause notice stated that it was clearly discussed that all councillors shall demand deferment of this agenda so that AAP councillors could get some time to go through the terms and conditions of the tender.

“It has come to the notice that six councillors have voted in favour of the agenda, along with other BJP councilors, 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 had said.

He had asked them to send their reply to the show-cause notice as to why they voted in favour of the agenda.

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