The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has put the BJP-led so-called “four-engine” government in Delhi on notice — deliver on the promises made to Delhiites or be prepared to be held accountable. Senior AAP leader and newly elected Leader of Opposition( LoP) in the MCD house, Ankush Narang, shared that the party will play the role of a responsible and constructive opposition, raising public issues from the House to the streets.
The MCD LoP said it is now BJP’s full responsibility to prevent waterlogging, ensure 24×7 electricity, clean water, sanitation, and road repairs. He demanded the BJP Mayor direct the MCD Commissioner to clear files on house tax relief and regularisation of 12,000 employees — proposals passed by the AAP government but stalled at BJP’s behest.
During a press conference, MCD LoP Ankush Narang stated, “In recent times, AAP has taken on the role of the Opposition in the MCD. Over the last two years, the BJP’s approach to this role was extremely negative.”
“The BJP deliberately disrupted House proceedings, stifled the voice of the people, and prevented councillors from even raising issues concerning their wards. BJP could not have been more negative as an opposition. Now that the Aam Aadmi Party is in Opposition, we will adopt a constructive role and forcefully raise public issues within the House,” he asserted.
The MCD LoP pointed to AAP’s historic decision to regularise 12,000 MCD employees, stating, “We had recently moved a cut motion and made provisions in the budget to regularise 12,000 MCD employees across various departments. The House—the highest decision-making body in MCD—approved this move and the budgetary provision for it. Yet, the file is being deliberately stalled under BJP’s pressure and has not been cleared.”
He put forth demands from the new MCD government: “Our first demand is for these employees to be regularised without delay. When the AAP was in power, salaries were credited on time—sanitation workers, for instance, received their pay by the first of every month, and bonuses were disbursed before Diwali. But ever since the BJP took over, both in the Delhi Government and now in MCD, salary delays have resumed.”
Ankush Narang also highlighted AAP’s landmark decision on house and property tax. He said, “We decided to waive house tax for properties under 100 square yards. I believe this was one of the most significant pro-resident decisions taken in the last two years. Residents of such properties will not have to pay house tax this year. We also addressed the issue of default cases.”
He added, “Often, citizens self-assess their tax liabilities, but MCD officials later raise disputes and send notices, turning these into default cases. We provided a mechanism for relief—if people pay the current year’s tax, all past dues would be waived. This would have increased compliance and boosted revenue. MCD itself admits to having a large number of default cases, but even this relief proposal was blocked by the BJP.”
Ankush Narang further added, “We had waived house tax and commercial property tax for units up to 100 square yards. For properties between 100 and 500 square yards, there was a 50% rebate. This scheme would have benefitted every citizen of Delhi.”
“When the public elects us, they expect us to work in their interest. And we did exactly that—whether it concerned citizens or employees. Now the responsibility lies with the BJP. I urge the Mayor to immediately instruct the Commissioner to clear the files on house and property tax relief as well as the regularisation of 12,000 employees,” emphasised the MCD LoP.
He added that BJP came up with yet another absurd idea—user charges. Giving an example, he stated, “If a person’s house tax is just Rs 850, the user charges imposed are Rs 1000. Aam Aadmi Party strongly demands that these user charges be scrapped immediately. We will continue to raise this issue within the House with full force.”
Highlighting BJP’s absolute control across institutions, Ankush Narang said that in the current scenario, there is not just a triple engine, but a four-engine government. BJP is in power at the Centre, they control the Delhi Government, they have their LG in place, and now they also rule MCD. With power across all four pillars, they have no excuse left for delaying public welfare schemes.
The LoP in MCD stated that now BJP must take full responsibility — whether it’s fixing potholes or road construction, they must do the work immediately. The monsoon is about to start, and we expect there will be no waterlogging in Delhi this year. BJP now controls the Centre, Delhi via LG, and MCD — so there should be no waterlogging and no choked drains. That’s our clear expectation.
Ankush Narang affirmed that the Aam Aadmi Party, even in Opposition, will play a strong, constructive role and become the voice of the people of Delhi. “We will raise every issue with full force and continue to do so consistently,” he said.
He recalled AAP’s work in clearing Delhi’s garbage mountains. “We had committed to eliminating the garbage mountains, and we’ve already reduced the landfills to a great extent. CM Rekha Gupta recently visited the site for a plantation drive— but let me remind everyone that when this reduction actually happened, BJP wasn’t even in power.”
“The landfills were cleared because of the hard work of AAP and under the leadership and vision of CM Arvind Kejriwal. Now that BJP is in power, they must live up to public expectations. If they fail to act on landfill issues, fail to work for employees or residents, then I want to give BJP a strict warning — as Leader of the Opposition, I will raise this in every House and take to the streets in protest if they do not serve Delhi’s people,” emphasised Ankush Narang.
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