Chandigarh Mayor, MP divide to fore at MC events

Sandeep Rana

Chandigarh, March 16

With the MP and the Mayor coming from separate parties, councillors prefer the leader of their own party for the inauguration of projects in their respective wards.

The Mayor, who is from AAP, and BJP MP Kirron Kher are barely seen sharing the dais at such programmes.

A few hours before the model code of conduct came into force this afternoon, Mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor launched work of laying a storm water drainage system near the EWS colony, Sector 37, in the presence of Municipal Commissioner Anindita Mitra and local AAP councillor Yogesh Dhingra. Neither Kirron, who had earlier inaugurated such projects, nor BJP councillors were present on the occasion.

About an hour later, work of installation of LED lights along the “phirni” road in Burail was launched by Kher in the presence of Mitra and BJP councillor Kanwarjeet Singh Rana. The Mayor was not present there.

The invitation cards for such programmes either have the name of Kher or Dhalor.

Earlier this month, work of zero waste modern food street was started in Sector 15, which comes under the ward of BJP councillor Saurabh Joshi. Mitra inaugurated the work.

Development work at the Sector 34 market, which falls in the ward of AAP councillor Prem Lata, was inaugurated by Dhalor.

Dhalor also inaugurated various works in Sector 25, Sector 42 and Maloya, which are represented by AAP and Congress councillors.

Following a book launch event held in Punjab Raj Bhawan this week, the Mayor alleged after he finished his address, the mike was sanitised before Kher was to deliver her speech, which was an insult to him and the act was anti-Dalit. He had declared he would not attend any programmes where the MP would be invited.

Kher had justified the action saying that since she recovered from a very serious disease, she had been advised precautions.

Meanwhile, the Mayor said, “I do not know whether the MP was called to the MC events presided over by me. Since work inaugurated at Burail is being carried out under the MPLAD fund, maybe that is why I was not invited to the event.”