IMC expels Congress corporator Anwar Qadri:voice vote passed amid sloganeering; Congress corporators walk out, protest over crumbling roads and corruption

The Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) on Thursday passed the proposal to expel Congress corporator Anwar Qadri through a voice vote, amid intense sloganeering and uproar in the House. The proposal was moved by Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav and supported by BJP corporators. Mayor Bhargav said Qadri’s status as a corporator had lost relevance since he was absconding and later lodged in jail. His written reply from jail is merely emotional and factually baseless. Whenever allegations were made against him, they stood proven. Even in the case of love jihad funding, Congress took no action. the Mayor said. Bhargav also accused the Congress of abandoning the House before the proposal was tabled, alleging that the party’s silence amounted to support for wrongdoing. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, state president Jitu Patwari, and Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar, is Congress in favour of love jihad? he added. Congress walkout and protests Congress corporators staged a walkout before the proposal was presented and later sat on a dharna outside the hall. Inside the House, they had earlier protested against the poor condition of city roads and traffic mismanagement. Holding placards on pothole-ridden streets, they sat down in front of the Speaker’s chair, raising slogans. Congress corporator Raju Bhadoriya questioned the absence of Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait in the hall and later presented one to Speaker Munnalal Yadav. Corporator Fouzia Sheikh Aleem raised issues concerning the BRTS corridor, to which BJP members Rajendra Rathore and the Mayor responded. Lights went off, chaos erupts in the House The session at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Parishad Hall (Atal Sadan) was marred by repeated disruptions. At one point, the lights went off unexpectedly, prompting Leader of Opposition Chintu Choukse to quip that the corporation lacked funds even for a generator. The debate turned heated over net signage and advertisement hoardings at city squares. BJP and Congress corporators clashed over the issue, with BJP corporator Yogesh Jender remarking that no certificate from those booked under NSA is needed here. sparking fresh arguments. Choukse, leading the Congress benches, sat on the floor before the Speaker along with other opposition corporators, demanding answers. BJP corporators, in turn, raised slogans demanding apologies. Opposition’s counter Leader of Opposition Chintu Choukse challenged the ruling side, saying: If NSA has really been invoked against Raju Bhadoriya, I will resign from my corporatorship today itself. He also questioned the Mayor over finances, remarking If the corporation has no money, how will you fix the city’s potholes? The Mayor retorted that a debate on the issue would be held, but the arguments continued until the session ended. A session of tension From protests over potholes to personal allegations, from power cuts to sloganeering, Thursday’s IMC House meeting highlighted the deepening rift between ruling BJP and opposition Congress corporators. The passing of the proposal to expel Anwar Qadri, without Congress present, underlined the charged political climate inside Indore’s municipal politics.