On Wednesday November 23, 2024. BJP councilors along with BJP-ruled ward committees’ chairpersons, deputy chairpersons, and Standing Committee members staged a protest outside the Mayor’s office at the Civic Center. Under the leadership of Leader of Opposition Sardar Raja Iqbal Singh and Deputy Leader of Opposition Jai Bhagwan Yadav, The BJP councilors raised slogans against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Mayor Dr. Shelly Oberoi, accusing them of being anti-Dalit. They demanded the immediate election of a Dalit mayor and the swift formation of a standing committee. The BJP councilors declared that they would continue their opposition, both on the streets and in the legislative chambers, until the AAP held the election for the reserved post of Dalit mayor. They vowed to prevent any further delay in the election.
Addressing the protest, Leader of Opposition Raja Iqbal Singh criticized AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, claiming that while Kejriwal had previously boasted about running the government from jail, he had failed to sign the file appointing a presiding officer for the mayoral election in April 2024. Singh alleged that, after being released from jail and facing public dissatisfaction and anti-incumbency sentiment, Kejriwal began pretending to push for the mayoral election. Singh argued that if AAP had been sincere, they would have held the Dalit mayor’s election during the auspicious month of October, which marks Lord Valmiki’s birth anniversary.
Instead, Singh claimed, AAP is intentionally denying Dalits their rightful place by continuously delaying the election, which should have seen a scheduled caste councilor become mayor.
Singh also criticized AAP’s claim that the mayoral election was being delayed because its councilors were unavailable in the city due to the festival season. He expressed disappointment, stating that during Diwali, when councilors should have been attending to cleanliness and services in their wards, AAP’s councilors were instead enjoying holidays in other states, leaving the public to deal with unclean conditions. He remarked that AAP councilors consistently fail to prioritize the interests of the Corporation, resulting in garbage piling up across Delhi and causing public distress.
Singh further accused Mayor Dr. Shelly Oberoi of delaying the mayoral election in order to travel abroad. He claimed there was no valid reason for the delay, and accused the AAP government of stalling the Corporation’s operations since coming to power by failing to hold both the Standing Committee and mayoral elections. Deputy Leader of Opposition Jai Bhagwan Yadav added that AAP’s failure to hold the Dalit mayoral election was an injustice to the Dalit community, which has fueled significant resentment against the party in Delhi. He emphasized that a Dalit councilor should have become mayor in April 2024, but AAP’s anti-Dalit politics have prevented the election from taking place. Yadav predicted that the people of Delhi would retaliate against AAP in the upcoming assembly elections, ensuring their defeat in both reserved and non-reserved seats.