The Congress government in Rajasthan has suspended Jaipur Greater Municipal Corporation’s Mayor Somya Gurjar and three municipal councillors on charges of manhandling the local body’s Commissioner during a discussion on payment of dues to a garbage collecting firm which was on strike.
Ms. Gurjar and two of the suspended councillors were elected on the BJP's ticket in the local body poll held in November last year. The State government has also decided to conduct a judicial inquiry into the matter involving the alleged attack on Municipal Corporation's Commissioner Yagya Mitra Singhdeo.
The Local Self-Government Department issued the orders for suspension late on Sunday night. Department's Special Secretary Deepak Nandi said since the continuance of the Mayor and the three councillors in office could influence the judicial inquiry, they had been suspended with immediate effect.
The three suspended councillors were Paras Jain and Ajay Singh Chauhan (both from the BJP) and Shankar Sharma (independent). The incident happened on Friday last, when Mr. Singhdeo went to the inner room in the Mayor's office to discuss the issue of payment of dues to the firm engaged in door-to-door garbage collection.
The councillors allegedly abused and attacked Mr. Singhdeo in the presence of Ms. Gurjar when he suggested that the firm's workers be convinced to collect the garbage by paying them an amount for fuel in their vans, in view of the Rajasthan High Court's recent order. The councillors allegedly exerted pressure on the Commissioner to give an order for alternative arrangements.
Will fight for justice: BJP
The Opposition BJP reacted sharply to the suspension orders and said it would “fight for justice”. BJP State president Satish Poonia said the suspension of elected Mayor and councillors would lead to the fall of the Congress in the State. “Vinash Kale, Vipreet Buddhi (As doom approaches, the mind goes awry),” Mr. Poonia tweeted.