india

Updated: Mar 17, 2019 00:50 IST

Union minister and BJP leader Vijay Goel sparked a controversy on Saturday by calling Delhi’s municipal corporations corrupt. The three municipal corporations (MCD) has been under the BJP for the last 12 years. At a public meeting in Vikaspuri, Goel said, “Aap mujhse kahoge MCD kaisi hai. Mein kahoonga chor hai. Mujhe koi inkar nahi hai. (If you ask me about MCD, I’ll say it is a thief).”

His comments gave the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), that forms the government in Delhi, ammunition to attack the BJP. Its spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj tweeted a video clip of Goel’s event and said that senior BJP leaders have now admitted to corruption in civic bodies.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia tweeted, “Are you calling MCD officials or BJP leaders (in MCD) thieves? Please clarify.”

When contacted, Goel said he stands by his statement. “I’m against corruption whether it is in MCD or Delhi government. We (BJP) has taken action to check on corruption in building department, in mutation of properties, functioning of MCDs by introducing biometric among other areas. We have to act against corruption officials in both MCD and Delhi government,” said Goel.

While senior party leaders said such statements, right now, could prove to be detrimental, the Delhi BJP came out in support of Vijay Goel. Its chief Manoj Tiwari said, “I have also talked about corruption in the municipal corporations of Delhi. There are some good officers and some corrupt officers. We are trying to make the civic body corruption-free.”

Delhi minister Rajendra Pal Gautam criticised Goel for not doing anything to stop corruption in the three MCDs. “The chowkidars in MCDs are themselves stealing money. Vijay Goel acknowledged MCD is corrupt. But, what has he done to stop it? ?”