FOR FAVOUR OF PUBLICATION

NEW DELHI, Feb.6—Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Shri Jaiprakash Agarwal, MP said at a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan here today that the party will launch a massive agitation at the pervading corruption in the BJP-ruled Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and for not implementing the direction of the Union Urban Development Ministry to stop the sealing and demolition drive in Delhi forthwith.

Besides Shri Agarwal, others present at the press conference were MPs Shri Jagdish Tytler, Shri Sajjan Kumar, Smt. Krishna Tirath, Shri Sandeep Dikshit, Leader of the Opposition in the MCD Shri Jaikishan Sharma, and senior Congress leader Shri Mukesh Sharma, MLA.

Shri Agarwal said there was a huge gap in the preaching and working of the BJP, and the communal party was giving a big boost to corruption in the Corporation in the name of the sealing and demolition drive. He said on the one hand the Standing Committee of MCD passed a resolution to stop the sealing and demolition drive and on the other hand the Municipal Commissioner was directed to resume the sealing and demolition drive. Shri Agarwal said the BJP had been confusing the people of Delhi on the issue of sealing from the very beginning as knowing very well that the sealing and demolition drive in Delhi was being carried out at the direction of the apex court, the BJP, before the MCD elections, was spreading baseless allegations and rumours to confuse and confound the people.

Shri Agarwal asked why the BJP was shying away from holding demonstrations on the issue of sealing and demolition now that the party was in power in the MCD.

Shri Agarwal and the MPs from Delhi accused the BJP councillors of consenting for the sealing and demolition drive so that the people, driven to desperation, would enhance the corruption money to line their pockets. He said whenever the court relaxed the norms for the sealing and demolition drive, the Union Government and the Delhi Government, from time to time, had taken various administrative measures and passed laws to stop sealing and demolition. He said the Delhi Government even convened a special session of the Assembly to take many administrative steps for the welfare of the citizens of the Capital.

Shri Agarwal said the truth was that from time to time, the BJP had filed petitions in the court for sealing and demolition drive in the Capital. He said after the BJP came to power in the MCD, on the issue of sealing and demolition drive, feeling insulted, some leaders praised the order of the Central Government while some others tried to belittle it.

Shri Agarwal said the people of Delhi had not forgotten the bulldozer minister of the BJP Government at the Centre Shri Jagmohan during whose tenure order was passed for the sealing and demolition drive in Delhi . He said the petty leaders of the BJP first identified the houses and shops for sealing and demolition, and once the sealing and demolition process started, they play-act against the drive to take money from the aggrieved parties. He emphasised that the Congress will not tolerate such covert corrupt practices of the BJP leaders and will launch a drive against it.

Shri Agarwal announced that the DPCC will hold demonstrations at local offices of the MCD against the ruling BJP in the first phase of the agitation in which all the Congress MLAs, Municipal Councillors, workers, and the common people will participate. He said in the second phase of the agitation, the MCD headquarters at Town Hall will be gheraoed to expose the corrupt deeds and faces of the BJP leaders.

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PRAMOD KUMAR
Office Secretary

The Chief Reporter

New Delhi.