The Congress today held protests across the city, accusing the Centre and Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government of being responsible for poor financial condition of municipal corporations.
The demonstrations were held at all the 12 zones of the three municipal corporations by the Congress workers during which they burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
AICC general secretary P C Chacko and Delhi Congress Chief Ajay Maken led the protest outside the central zone's office of the corporation in south Delhi's Lajpat Nagar here.
"The financial condition of municipal corporations has deteriorated...They don't have money to pay their staff... Contractor workers are also not being made permanent. BJP-led Central government and AAP's government are responsible for the poor financial condition of the civic bodies," Maken told reporters here.
Maken said that during Congress's regime, municipal corporations didn't face any financial problem and the salaries of their staff were released on time.
"We are holding protest at all the 12 zones of municipal corporations. In the year 2012-2013, the Congress government in Delhi had allocated Rs 3,128 crore to the MCDs, but in the 2014-2015 Budget, Central government had deducted Rs 651 crore from the MCD funds during President Rule and now, AAP's government deducted Rs 62 crore from the civic bodies' fund, which is very unfair," he said.
The party workers burnt the effigies of Modi and Kejriwal and shouted slogans against their governments during the protest.
Maken compared the plight of cash-strapped corporations to that of a football game and said, "Both Centre and AAP-led government have made corporations like a football which never happened during Congress' regime".
"When officials of corporations approach AAP government to seek funds, they ask them to approach Central government..When they (civic bodies) go to Centre, they then ask them to approach the city's government.
Another Congress leader PC Chacko alleged that for the last two months, several pensions have been stopped, saying that party would also continue raising the voice of staff of municipal corporations.
