The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House was anything but calm on Thursday, as a discussion on pollution and development funds spiralled into chaos, as files were thrown, a mic was broken, and verbal clashes nearly turned physical.
Amid the furore between AAP and BJP councillors, Mayor Pravesh Wahi was escorted out by marshals for safety. The House also saw Congress councillors join the verbal clashes against those from the AAP, which eventually led to Mayor Wahi's mic being broken by the latter side.
Visuals from the House also show some councillors throwing water around as tensions rose.
The chaos reportedly began after the BJP's response to AAP councillors' demand for the immediate release of development funds for their wards.
Mayor Wahi had responded with the announcement that ₹25 lakh tranche in development funds was released—part of a total of ₹2 crore, which would be made available to councillors during the current financial year.
The Opposition, however, was not happy, with the AAP councillors demanding that the immediate allocation be increased from ₹25 lakh to ₹1 crore.
Defending the Opposition's demand, AAP councillor Shagufta Zubair questioned why her colleagues were being criticised for seeking money meant for public welfare.
"The mic belongs to the House. Why have you come to fight? We are asking for funds for the public. Are we doing anything wrong? ... Why are we being defamed like this?" she told the media, lashing out at the saffron party and Mayor Wahi for silencing councillors from Opposition parties.
Another verbal clash came after Zubair alleged that Congress leader Nazia Danish had used abusive language and made personal remarks against her in response to the AAP leader's development fund demand.
Danish's retort—that she was not like Shagufta Chaudhary—came in response to Opposition leader Ankush Narang's claims that the AAP was close to the ruling BJP, further fuelling the clashes.
