Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Two days after BJP achieved a landslide victory in state Assembly elections, the Leader of the Opposition in Indore Municipal Corporation, Chintu Chouksey, in the council meeting on Tuesday, alleged that the BJP bought the mandate by using public money.
“Everybody knows how BJP managed to get victory in the state Assembly. They bought the mandate using public money,” he said apparently referring to the Ladli Behna Scheme under which the government gives Rs 1,250 to eligible women.
Reacting sharply to the allegation, BJP corporators said that Chouksey had insulted the public and their mandate through his remark and sought an apology.
The heated argument took place between Congress and BJP corporators in the special IMC council meeting called for vote on resolution to transfer land of closed down Hukumchand Mills to thd MP Housing Board.
Though the resolution was passed unanimously, both Congress and BJP tried to take credit for the decision in favour of mill workers who have been waiting for their pending dues for the last 32 years.
During this effort to take credit, corporators of both sides exchanged hot words many times. However, the situation never went out of control.
On being teased by BJP corporators over their party winning all nine seats in Indore, an irked Congress corporator Raju Bhadoria said that the saffron party can give Opposition poison and kill democracy.
Mayor-in-Council member Udawat said that Bhadoria should respect the house and use parliamentary words only.
As Fauzia Sheikh Alim was speaking, BJP corporators started chanting “Modi, Modi” prompting her to say that when BJP leaders don’t have answers to Opposition questions they start chanting “Modi, Modi.”
Will do pact that benefits IMC too: Mayor
Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav stated that he was happy to see that the current IMC council has played a key role in resolving the 32-year-long issue and ensured that the workers of closed down mill get their rightful dues.
“The workers have waited for this day for so long. Many died before this day arrived. I thank all who played their roles in resolving this issue. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan committed money to our proposal to transfer the land to the Housing Board so that workers can get their dues and the land can be used for some good purpose,” he said.
As per directives of the court, Bhargav said, the MP Housing Board has deposited Rs 450 crore in a special account in a bank in Bhopal. One part of the amount will go to IMC workers and the remaining will be spent for developing city forest and establishing IT or Business Park or some type of residential-cum- commercial building.
He stated that a pact between the housing board, IMC and the government will be inked wherein it will be ensured that the Corporation benefits from the transfer of land as well.
Cong govt changed the land use: Chouksey
Chouksey stated that nothing could have been done on mill land until its diversion was done. The use of mill land was changed from industrial to residential-cum-commercial because of which it became easier to find a solution. To this, the Mayor intervened saying Chouhan committed the money for the transfer of land because of which the court agreed to the solution.
On this, Congress and BJP started passing the buck on each other over delay in solving the issue for 32 long years.
A woman Congress corporator said that they also should actually apologise to the workers for the delay in solving the issue.
1,650 Sundays spent on protests
The workers revealed that they spent more than 1,650 Sundays on protests in the last 32 years. They recalled how they would gather on mill premises for staging protests over the delay in pending dues. Bhargav stated that the dues were to be cleared by the mill but the government did so out of compassion. “Rs 50 crore were already granted by the Shivraj government and now the remaining dues will also be cleared with the amount deposited by the Housing Board.
