The standing committee meeting in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was adjourned on Thursday to pay homage to 33 people who lost their lives during torrential rains on July 17-18. The move, however, resulted in the BJP and the Shiv Sena locking horns over the issue.
The BJP members said the Sena adjourned the meeting to avoid questions on the ill-preparedness for the season. However, senior Sena corporator and chairperson of the committee, Yashwant Jadhav said that adjourning a meeting after any disaster has been a tradition in the corporation.
The BJP wrote a letter to the chairperson of the committee, stating that there should have been a discussion on the issue amongst party members instead of adjourning the meeting. Earlier this month, the committee meeting was also adjourned after the demise of legendary actor Dilip Kumar.
Bhalchandra Shirsat, the BJP spokesperson in the BMC and member of the committee, told Free Press Journal, “Usually the leader of the house raises a proposition of adjournment, which is then supported by members across party lines. But this time, the chairperson said there will be no meeting.” He said, a healthy discussion between party members takes place before the meeting. “But this time the Sena adjourned the meeting without any discussion as they didn’t want to face any questions regarding the monsoon disaster,” he said.
For his part, Jadhav said, “The adjournment ceremony was announced to pay homage to the departed souls. Adjourning a meeting after a calamity has been a common tradition of the municipal body for decades now.” He said the BJP is trying to play politics. The discussion can happen next week as well, but having a meeting immediately after the incident doesn’t send a good signal.
