AAP protests Dalit ‘exclusion’ in MCD panels

A special session of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) turned stormy on Thursday after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors disrupted proceedings, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led administration of undermining Dalit representation in key municipal committees. Despite the uproar, the session at the Civic Centre concluded with the successful election of members to 12 Special Committees and 11 Ad-hoc Committees — breaking a two-and-a-half-year deadlock.

Shouting slogans like “This anti-Dalit mentality of BJP will not work!”, AAP councillors alleged that the Scheduled Caste (SC) Committee, which earlier comprised 35 members, was deliberately reduced to 21 members by BJP’s Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh as part of what they called “dirty politics.”

Addressing the press following the disruption, Mayor Singh defended the proceedings and condemned AAP’s actions as politically motivated obstruction. “AAP has consistently tried to paralyse the functioning of the House by creating chaos instead of engaging in democratic discussion,” he said. Singh further clarified that the proposals to nominate members to the Education Committee and the ad-hoc committee for Scheduled Caste Welfare were tabled in previous sessions as well, but AAP “chose not to participate constructively.”

Singh justified the reduction in committee sizes, stating that earlier larger panels struggled to reach consensus or make timely decisions. “To ensure better efficiency and quicker execution, we limited the number of members,” he said.

Indian Vikas Party (IVP) chief Mukesh Goel also came down heavily on AAP, calling their protest “selective outrage.” Goel questioned why the party failed to raise objections during earlier discussions or submit nominations in time. “Where was this concern for Dalits when AAP delayed the election of a Dalit mayor for over six months?” he asked.

Goel further alleged that during its tenure in MCD, AAP excluded Dalits from key committees such as Appointments, Works, and Health. “Today they claim to be champions of Dalit rights, but failed to compensate 12,000 affected employees when in power. The Dalit community won’t tolerate being used for political grandstanding anymore,” he said.

Elections for the posts of Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of these newly constituted committees will be held on August 6 and 7, with July 31 set as the last date for filing nominations. A total of 250 members will serve across the panels.

Special, ad-hoc committees

The special and ad-hoc committees hold vital responsibilities for policy oversight, delegated functions, and advisory roles within the civic body. Members are elected from within the Corporation, although up to three external experts may be appointed to ad-hoc panels, pending approval.

The ad-hoc committees include those focused on licensing and use of public spaces for vending, community services, malaria prevention, flood control, national festivals, grants-in-aid, grievance redressal, street naming, and child and women welfare.

Special committees will address assurance, appointments and disciplinary actions, public health and other significant sectors.