MCD elections: Congress rubbishes BJP attack

New Delhi, April 3 (IANS) Countering the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) attack on the central and Delhi governments over alleged corruption, the Congress Tuesday said the party should talk about civic matters rather than irrelevant issues ahead of the April 15 polls for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

"The elections are in the MCD not at the centre or in the state. The BJP is harping on those issues not pertaining to civic issues. They have wasted five years of people by remaining in the MCD," Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief Jai Prakash Agarwal said at a press conference.

"In these five years, the BJP has done nothing. Their achievement in the five years has been battered roads and increased house tax," he said.

Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely, who was also present at the press conference, said that the BJP was indulging in "negative politics" by picking those issues which had nothing do with the MCD polls.

"BJP is trying to mislead people by using useless issues. Why don't they talk about their performance in the civic body be it education or health," said Lovely.

Earlier in the day, BJP president Nitin Gadkari launched a scathing attack on the Congress-led Delhi government, urging people to defeat the "corruption-riddled" Congress in the civic polls. He also slammed the central government over corruption.

Ballots will be cast April 15 for the MCD which was trifurcated with the hope that the civic agency, which was earlier a single humongous body, would function efficiently. Fifty percent seats have been reserved for women.

While the corporations of north and south Delhi will each have 104 wards, there will be 64 wards in east Delhi. Close to one crore voters are eligible to cast their votes to select municipal councillors.