BJP-led Chandigarh civic body passes resolution demanding own legislative assembly

After the Punjab Assembly and Haryana Assembly passed a resolution staking its claim on the Union territory, the BJP-led Municipal Corporation Chandigarh is the latest to come up with a resolution demanding that it should have its own legislative assembly. The resolution was passed during a special House meeting on Thursday where only BJP councillors were present. In the current House of 35, the BJP alone has 13 councillors, while the Congress, Akali, and AAP members had staged a walkout. 

The new resolution, read out by BJP councillor Maheshinder Singh Sidhu, stated that the Centre should direct Haryana and Punjab to each look for new capital. Both states presently share Chandigarh as their capital and have constantly been in a tussle claiming it as their own capital over the other. 

"Keeping in view the sentiments of the residents of Chandigarh, it's status of Union Territory should be maintained. A state legislative assembly should be constituted in Chandigarh so as to enable the residents to decide about the policies and future of the city themselves," the resolution said.The resolution also thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi for implementing Central Service Rules for municipal employees in Chandigarh in March last month — which had also been widely criticised by Punjab's ruling AAP.Unsurprisingly, Non-BJP members of the Municipal Corporation were unhappy about the resolution.

AAP leaders have termed the BJP-led civic body's latest resolution as "dirty politics" motivated by a desire to grab some power from the Punjab government. Pardeep Chhabra, AAP's co-in-charge in Chandigarh, said, "the BJP should stop politicising this issue".Meanwhile, BJP leaders in Chandigarh were happy about the resolution and said that it was about time that the Union Territory separated itself from the tug of the war fight between Punjab and Haryana. However, some BJP functionaries also said that the municipal corporation's demand was mostly a "political fight" in the wake of AAP's sweeping victory in polls and forming the government in Punjab.

 The decade-long issue gained fresh life after the Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared the replacement of Punjab Service Rules with Central Service Rules for Union Territory employees on 27 March. In response, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann called an assembly session on 1 April, where an immediate transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab was demanded through the passing of a resolution. The BJP-led Haryana government was also quick to call an Assembly session to pass a resolution urging the Centre to not take any further steps that will hamper the existing balance till all issues emanating from the reorganization of Punjab were settled, besides reiterating its claim over the state capital.