Congress councillors from Kota South began an indefinite dharna outside the Nagar Nigam Gate No. 2 on Monday, demanding the issuance of tenders for development work in their wards. The protest, led by Deputy Mayor Pawan Meena, was sparked by allegations of discrimination in the tendering process, with councillors claiming that development work in BJP-led wards was prioritised over Congress wards.
The councillors accused Nagar Nigam officials and Mayor Rajiv Agarwal of bias, claiming that tenders worth Rs 1 crore had been issued for BJP councillors’ wards, while those of Congress councillors were ignored. Meena and other Congress leaders also alleged that the mayor had shifted his allegiance from Congress to BJP, leading to favouritism in the allocation of development work.
In response, Agarwal and Commissioner Anurag Bhargava denied any discrimination. They explained that Congress councillors had not provided any written proposals for the works they wished to undertake, which was necessary for the tendering process. Agarwal clarified that tenders were issued based on written requests made by councillors earlier, which had been delayed due to the Lok Sabha elections. He urged Congress councillors to submit their proposals in writing for verification, after which tenders would be issued for their wards as well. The Congress councillors have vowed to continue their protest until the tenders for their wards are released. The indefinite dharna will remain in place until their demands are met.