BJP, Congress react to Supreme Court’s stay on civic body polls process

Ahmedabad

Following is Gujarat BJP’s response to Supreme Court’s stay on Municipality and Municipal Corporation polls:

Why Congress party that has tasted continuous defeats in local body elections to Lok Sabha polls is running away from elections? It has become Congress party’s identity to oppose the works of people’s welfare and delimitation concluded by state election commission.

When BJP government in Gujarat passed a law for 50% women’s reservation in local bodies, the Congress party had blocked its passage and worked against women empowerment. Now when the government has declared 50% women’s reservation and worked in direction to implement it, the Congress party is just not able to tolerate it. Congress party fears defeat and it doesn’t like women empowerment.

However lakhs of attempts of Congress can not stop it from going to its decline. Congress is just delaying today’s death on tomorrow. BJP is determined to have ‘Congress free Gujarat’ and ready to do that.

Following is Gujarat Congress’s response to Supreme Court’s stay on Municipality and Municipal Corporation polls:

Wide representations were made by Congress Party and various groups against the autocratic delimitation by BJP government on the basis of its majority in Municipal Corporations and Nagarpalikas in Gujarat, But BJP government with its egoistic attitude, ignored the representations made by congress party and various affected groups. As a result, various voters’ groups and congress party had filed a writ petition in Honorable High Court and thereafter in Supreme Court. Taking into consideration that rights of voters are violated and also the law about which state government is making hype, is violated, Honorable Supreme Court has given a stay on the election process of Municipal Corporations and Nagarpalikas. Welcoming the order of Honorable Supreme Court, GPCC President Shri Bharatsinh Solanki said that BJP government of Gujarat is usurping the rights of citizens of Gujarat by taking unconstitutional action on the basis of its majority.

With this stay order of Supreme Court, the obnoxious electoral arrangement and delimitation by State Election Commission by the autocratic rule of BJP government has been exposed. On one hand BJP talks of administrative ease and justice to the people by creating smaller districts and talukas in the state and on the other hand it is creating wards in the corporation with similar numbers of voters for assembly constituency. If the whole country has the arrangement of one representative per one ward; why not in cities and towns of Gujarat ? Accountability of the elected representative is enhanced by one ward one representative system. Public money is wasted by corrupt BJP rulers of Municipal Corporations and Nagarpalikas.

Basic amenities like drainage, water-supply and health services are not availed to the public, inspile of paying heavy taxes. Middle class of Gujarat is fed up due to autocratic rule of BJP. During the BJP rule of more than a decade in almost all Municipal Corporations and Nagarpalikas, urban poor are completely ignored.

The stay order of Honorable Supreme Court is a set-back for the policy and intentions of BJP government. In spite of its autocratic delimitation and electoral arrangements, BJP will get defeated almost all local body elections in Gujarat. General and middle class of the voters have decided to teach a lesson to BJP in ensuing elections.