The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) on Thursday passed a resolution to send a proposal to the state government seeking 'Bruhat' status for the civic body, allegedly without debate and without taking the opposition into confidence.
Resolution Passed Amid Controversy
The resolution was approved during the general body meeting, which had 23 subjects on the agenda. The proposal relating to declaring the HDMC as the Bruhat Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation figured as the last item. Before a detailed discussion could take place, BJP corporators urged that the subject be cleared. Mayor Jyoti Patil approved the proposal and subsequently cleared four additional subjects before adjourning the meeting indefinitely.
Opposition Protests
Aggrieved by the move, opposition Congress members staged a protest after the mayor left the chair, raising slogans against the BJP corporators and the mayor. Leader of the opposition Imran Yaligar said it was unfortunate that the ruling party passed the proposal as a 'publicity stunt' without any discussion. He pointed out that the Congress-led state government has already approved a proposal for a separate municipal corporation for Dharwad and is firm on implementing it. Yaligar alleged that BJP MLAs and MPs had earlier supported the demand for a separate municipal corporation for Dharwad, but were now opposing the move after the state government approved it.
Earlier Heated Exchanges
Earlier in the day, heated exchanges were reported during discussion on allotting land to establish a Maulana Azad school at Garden Peth. Following the arguments, mayor Patil adjourned the meeting for 10 minutes and later directed the HDMC commissioner to conduct a spot inspection before taking a decision.
