HYDERABAD: With the BJP now having a sizeable presence in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the council sessions and the standing committee meetings are expected to be stormy and tough for the ruling dispensation.
For the past five years, the ruling TRS and AIMIM had it easy as there was little presence of opposition in the council. Whether it is the approval of projects worth more than Rs 2crore or passing resolutions condemning the Parliamentary approval of Citizenship Amendment Act, the TRS-AIMIM had their way.
Since 2016, the TRS-AIMIM combine dominated the council and all the members of the standing committee were from these two parties. Fifteen corporators from among the 150 are elected as members of the standing committee, which takes many important decisions. The committee’s meeting used to be held every Thursday to approve proposals over Rs 2 crore. Due to the bonhomie between TRS and MIM, there used to be no ruckus during the committee meetings, which were also attended by IAS officers. To avoid misunderstandings, the mayor would speak to all the members a day before the scheduled meeting.
But all that is set to change now. “Things will not be the same any more. We expect heated arguments every Thursday and also during the council sessions,” a GHMC official said.
The BJP members are raring to go and the party is waiting to take on TRS-AIMIM.
“During the earlier term, GHMC had unilateralism all over, and in management of corporation, the hegemony of TRS and AIMIM and its brute majority had lead to many unwanted decisions, which not only impacted the civic body financially but also bankrupted it,” said BJP spokesperson Krishna Sagar Rao. “It had also become a platform to pass resolutions for sake of political appeasement.”
Rao said, “The unwanted resolution passed against CAA is the best example. We will not allow any such unilateral decisions.” However, TRS corporator from Banjara Hills, Vijay Laxmi, mocked BJP leaders. “Most BJP corporators are newcomers. Let them prepare themselves for the test first and then enter the council. Even I heard that they will object to every decision. What will they object to? Will they object to developmental and civic works? We are not afraid to take them on. We know how to defend ourselves,” said Laxmi, who is the daughter of TRS MP Keshav Rao.
Several MIM corporators, who were part of the council for decades, said they can’t comment unless their chief Asaduddin Owaisi instructs them to do so. Owaisi, who is in Lucknow, was not available for comment over the phone.