BMC has only present and former ruling parties, no real opposition: AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday said that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has no opposition but only present and former ruling parties. 

It attacked the established parties including Shiv Sena, Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for sharing a “cosy relationship” without governance responsibility. The AAP blamed these parties for collectively failing Mumbai and its citizens. 

“Congress, Shiv Sena and BJP are to be blamed for the present sad state, in the deliberative wing of the BMC,” AAP said in a statement while commenting on the Bombay High Court order. 

The Bombay HC on Monday dismissed a petitioned filed by BJP corporator Prabhakar Shinde seeking to be recognised as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the BMC on the basis of his party’s strength. 

With the dismissal of the petition, Ravi Raja from Congress will continue as the LoP in BMC. This comes as a huge blow to the BJP which has been wanting to get the LoP post in the civic body after its alliance with Shiv Sena ended in 2019.

Reacting to this, AAP pointed out that BJP helped Shiv Sena win the elections to post of Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Chairman of all statutory committees. However, the BJP also tried to distance itself from Shiv Sena by not taking any posts in the civic body. 

“For political expediency, BJP's behaviour in the house has always been suspecting and a trade-off, for it's a larger arrangement with the Shiv Sena at the state and national level,” AAP said in the state. 

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party held both - BJP and Shiv Sena - responsible for BMC’s poor service delivery for the last two decades. It also attacked the Congress saying that despite holding the LoP position, they have never asked tough questions to Shiv Sena due to its alliance at the state level. 

"Shiv Sena is only happy with the arrangement of loyal opposition. We only have present and former ruling parties in the BMC and no real opposition. The priority of the established parties is merely power grab at all costs, to hell with Mumbaikars and Mumbai's civic woes, rampant corruption and pathetic public service delivery,” senior AAP leader Preeti Sharma Menon said.