BJP members skip MCC standing committee meet again

Mangalore, March 25: BJP members elected to the standing committees of the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) stayed away from a meeting convened here on Saturday by mayor Gulzaar Banu of the Congress to select chairmen of four committees.

This is the second time in a week that Gulzaar has been forced to put up with recalcitrant BJP corporators who are peeved at her election due to a faux pas committed by their colleague during the Mayoral elections held on March 7.

Gulzaar said that the next date for the election of the standing committee chiefs has been fixed on April 2.

BJP members also abstained from a meeting convened to elect the chairmen on March 16. Members of the standing committees were elected during the mayoral elections. The BJP, which has 35 members in the 60-member house, is playing hardball with election of chairmen in the hope of getting a legal verdict going their way, said former mayor K Ashraf.

"With high court expected to give its verdict on a petition challenging the election of Gulzaar as mayor on March 26, BJP thinks it is their best chance to unseat her," he said.

This political tug-of-war will in no way affect the tabling of the budget scheduled for March 30, Gulzaar claimed. The erstwhile taxation, finance and appeals standing committee headed by Sharath Kumar of the BJP has already finalised the draft budget based on inputs provided by the commissioner, he said.

The budget, draft of which is in circulation among corporators, will become final only after it is presented and ratified in the council. Congress in the interim has nominated Deepak Poojary as chief whip. He will place the agenda on behalf of the mayor in council meetings, Ashraf added.