BJP not letting a Dalit become Mayor, says AAP’s Sanjay Singh

New Delhi, April 26

The AAP on Friday called the BJP “anti-Dalit”, saying that “due to the hatred towards Dalits in the minds of BJP leaders, Delhi could not get a Dalit Mayor”. The allegations came a day after elections to the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi that were slated for April 26 were postponed on Thursday

AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh said, “The Constitution written by Babasaheb Ambedkar says that a person from Dalit community will become the Mayor of Delhi for one term. The BJP does not want it.”

Showing a letter, Sanjay Singh said, “The L-G is saying that he works on the aid and advice of the chief minister. But only last year, he had appointed BJP councillor Satya Sharma as the presiding officer of mayoral polls despite the Chief Minister saying that the seniormost councillor Mukesh Goel was eligible to become the presiding officer.”

AAP accuses L-G of bias

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launched a scathing attack on the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) of Delhi, accusing him of “acting as a pawn of the BJP with an anti-Dalit mindset in cancelling the mayoral elections in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The postponement of the elections, which were slated to be held on Friday, sparked outrage and allegations of political interference within the MCD.

Mayor Shelly Oberoi condemned the cancellation, stating, “The elections of Mayor and Deputy Mayor were to be held today... But yesterday, bypassing the elected government, the file for the election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor reached the LG... Now, what kind of politics is this?” She lambasted the BJP, accusing it of anti-Dalit sentiments and constitutional violations.

Oberoi highlighted the importance of the mayoral elections, emphasising that this year, the MCD mayor was to be elected from the reserved category. She expressed dismay over the perceived obstruction by the BJP, asserting, “The anti-Dalit BJP is once again murdering the Constitution.”

In response to the cancellation, Mukesh Kumar Goel, the Leader of the House in the Municipal Corporation, warned of potential backlash from the Dalit community, stating, “Today, there is anger among the Dalit community... And that anger will convert into votes against the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.”

However, the Leader of Opposition in the MCD, Raja Iqbal Singh, countered the AAP’s accusations, branding the AAP party as “anti-Dalit and anti-women.” Singh alleged that AAP deliberately stalled the elections to conceal internal conflicts, stating, “If the AAP wanted to conduct elections... it should have completed all necessary formalities... before the announcement of the general elections.”

Singh further criticised AAP’s governance, accusing it of hindering development and perpetuating corruption. He asserted, “The AAP is a pro-corruption party... it does not want to follow any constitutional process... For this reason, it did not allow elections for the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor.”

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