New Delhi: BJP leader Vijay Goel Friday raised objection to the reservation of mayors` post in all three corporations in the coming municipal polls, saying such top positions should be decided on the "basis of merit" only.
"A mayor is the first citizen of Delhi, so let the best person be the mayor rather than choosing it on the basis of reservation," Goel said in a statement.
"I am not against the policy of reservation but it has to be done judiciously and certain posts should be kept out of the realm of reservation. The trifurcation of MCDs has introduced many such anomalies which is affecting the interest of the common people.
"If we really want to have three MCDs, there should have been a Mayor-in-Council. There has to be a mechanism which ensures close coordination between all three municipal bodies. None of this was taken into account as Congress government in Delhi implemented trifurcation in a hurry," he said.
Goel alleged that a section of the top bureaucracy in all three municipal corporations of Delhi is "derailing" the efforts of the BJP councillors to provide better quality services to people.
"The commissioners in all three MCDs are appointed by Delhi government. There is an overwhelming concentration of power in their hands while councillors, who are people`s representatives, are left with no powers," Goel said.
"It is time to have a relook at the trifurcation of the MCDs. It was done from purely political point of view and the administrative aspects were ignored. The result is that we have cash strapped MCDs which are largely controlled by bureaucrats appointed by Delhi government, so they refuse to listen to the elected representatives," he said.
