Delhi MCDs have become den of corruption: AAP leader

New Delhi, April 17 (IANS) Aam Aadmi Party leader Dilip Pandey in a letter to BJP President Amit Shah on Monday said that the BJP-ruled municipal corporations in the city have become a den of corruption.

"I am writing this letter with deep anguish as your party had been spreading lies to hide its corruption in MCDs and misleading the public...the MCDs have become a den of corruption," Pandey wrote in the letter.

Pandey also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of making false promises in its manifesto ahead of civic polls even when it failed to fulfil the promises it made in the previous municipal elections.

"I challenge you and your party to name even a single work done by the BJP-ruled municipal corporations which the public had praised and on which you can take pride. MCDs did nothing. All the three municipal corporations have failed to utilise even 40 per cent of the money allocated for sanitation and hygiene works," the AAP leader said.

Attacking Shah over his promise to abolish corruption from the municipal corporations, Pandey said that the BJP had been ruling the civic bodies for the last 10 years but the corruption, instead of going down, has only increased.

"You are not able to curb corruption, as a study shows that around 30 per cent residents of the city have to pay bribes to get their work done in municipal corporations. Not only this, but your MCDs also stop our MLAs from doing developmental work through their MLALAD (MLA Local Area Development) fund," Pandey wrote in the letter.

Hitting out at the BJP, Pandey said that the BJP had failed to complete the promises it had made in previous municipal elections even though it "dared" to make new promises in the upcoming civic polls.

Pandey said in its manifesto the BJP promised to get funds directly from the central government for municipal corporations but according to the 74th amendment of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, all kinds of grants for local bodies can be obtained from the central government only though the state government.

"...if you can get the grants for MCDs bypassing the state government, then why did you not take this step till now? You fail to pay the salaries of sanitation employees and play with the health of Delhi people," Pandey said in the letter.

The elections to the North, East and South Delhi Municipal Corporation are scheduled for April 23 and results will be announced on April 26.