BJP Sees Red on New GHMC Ward Plans, Says It’s ‘Quid Pro Quo’ Between Cong. and MIM

Hyderabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday slammed the Congress government for unilaterally deciding on expanding the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) by merging various municipalities and other local bodies, with the BJP state president N. Ramchander Rao questioning the decision taken without any form of public input.

He also alleged that the entire plan appears to be one designed to hand over the reins of the city to All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) through backdoor methods by creating 300 divisions, again for which the government has not provided any rationale.

Speaking with reporters after meeting with party corporators in the GHMC Council, Ramchander Rao said by announcing 300 wards, the government took the voting population from 69 lakh in the earlier GHMC area to 1.69 lakh crore.

“What is the basis for the 300 wards? There is already a talk that the expanded GHMC will be divided into three units and our belief is that this was done to hand one of them over to the AIMIM. This is a quid pro quo arrangement between the Congress and the AIMIM,” he said.

“This is not about making it a Hindu-Muslim issue. This is about development and non-development,” he said.

Ramchander Rao also questioned why the government did not hold any all-party meeting, did not gather public opinion, or hold any public hearings on the GHMC merger plan.

“The BJP earlier opposed this plan and we continue to oppose it. Many of the new areas added to the GHMC do not have street lighting; have sewerage problems and many other issues. We call on all the people in the new areas to file their objections as sought in the Gazette notification yesterday on the merger plan. The government move will impact the brand image of Hyderabad,” he said.