Taking exception to the passage of a bill to empower government to remove mayors and curtail their powers, mayors of Uttar Pradesh today asked the Akhilesh Yadav dispensation to reconsider its decision.
Mayors of the state, under the aegis of UP Mayor Council, will request Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to reconsider its decision on the Uttar Pradesh Nagar Nigam (Amendment) Bill, 2015, and not implement it as it is against the provisions of the Constitution, Mayor of Lucknow Dinesh Sharma told newspersons.
"If the government implements this bill, it will only prove its malafide intentions as 10 of the 12 mayors belong to one party (BJP) and the other two are also with us," he said.
"We will meet Governor Ram Naik and hand over a memorandum citing how the bill violates constitutional provisions and ask him not to give his assent," he said, adding the Council has also sought time from the Chief Minister.
Stressing that help and support of all political parties on the matter will be welcomed, Sharma said the bill is humiliating for the followers of Ambedkar, who scripted the Constitution, and for those who follow Rajiv Gandhi who empowered local bodies.
It is also against Lohia who called local bodies as the nursery of politics and even Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP chief), who had in the past advocated for rights of local bodies, he said.
"We have also constituted a six-member action committee which will formulate the future action plan to be adopted by the Council in this regard.
Sharma said a letter citing all constitutional provisions being affected by this bill as well as various rights and powers which have been done away with will be sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, the UP Governor, Chief Minister and Urban Development Minister.
