AAP-BJP blame game in Delhi Assembly over sealing drive

The three-day Delhi Assembly session started on a stormy note on Monday as the ruling AAP and opposition BJP members blamed each other for the sealing drive, forcing the Speaker to order four adjournments and marshalling out of two BJP MLAs.

The sealing drive is being carried out by a Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee against business establishments using residential properties for commercial purposes, and it is being implemented by the three BJP-led Municipal Corporations.

The AAP MLAs alleged that businessmen were being "harassed" by the corporations and that there was "huge corruption" involved in the process.

Holding banners that read "anti-business BJP" and "BJP came, brought back sealing", AAP MLAs protested in the well of the house and raised slogans against the opposition party.

After multiple adjournments, when Speaker Ram Niwas Goel allowed discussion on the issue, BJP MLAs demanded a separate discussion on 351 roads which are to be notified under commercial and mixed-use categories, so that businesses on these stretches were saved from the sealing drive.

BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta told the media outside the Assembly alleged that the AAP was sitting on files related to notification of roads and held out a poster "AAP, stop drama on sealing drive and notify 351 roads". 

AAP MLA Alka Lamba alleged in the house that the BJP has been collecting conversion charges for the past 10 years but was not issuing receipts to traders.

"There is corruption of the tune of Rs 1,000 crore in the collection of conversion charges," she said.

AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the Commissioners of the three municipal corporations should be called to the Assembly on Wednesday and asked to give details of the conversion charges collected over 12 years.

Public Works Department Minister Satyendar Jain had earlier alleged that the changing the status of these 351 roads was pending for "11 years" due to laxity to the municipal corporations.

He had slammed the municipal corporations for allegedly not submitting documents needed for the notification and had asked them to make a detailed submission by January 22.

If the roads are to be notified under commercial and mixed-use categories, the traders will be able to continue with their businesses on these stretches.

On Monday, as the BJP MLAs stood firm that there should be discussion on the 351 roads and stalled the house proceedings, the Speaker ordered Gupta and BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa to be marshalled out of the house.

Referring to the disruptions caused by the BJP MLAs, Goel said: "This is murder of democracy and Delhi's citizens are watching it."

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that the BJP was "minting money from traders and businessmen" in the city. "The sealing drive is being done by the BJP to make money," he said.

The Monitoring Committee was set up by the Supreme Court in 2006 for sealing the premises of erring businessmen. But in 2012, it asked the committee to stop the drive.

In December 2017, the Supreme Court ordered resumption of the sealing drive and revived the Monitoring Committee.

The AAP had opposed committee's revival in the Supreme Court and later accused the municipal corporations of corruption in the process.

"Action is being taken against business establishments using residential properties for commercial purposes without paying conversion charges," North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) Spokesperson Yogendra Mann told IANS.

Discussion on the issue would now continue on Tuesday. - IANS