The Aam Aadmi Party's ambitious Delhi Nagar Swaraj Bill 2014 which proposes to decentralise decision making to elected local bodies called 'mohalla sabhas' is attracting opposition from an unlikely quarter – a citizens' group that represents resident welfare associations (RWAs) in Delhi.
United Residents & RWAs Joint Action (URJA) which is confederation of 1463 RWAs in Delhi has decided to oppose the mohalla sabha model describing it is as attempt "to hijack the equitable, apolitical and democratic process of decentralized decision making via the RWAs and resident ward committees (RWC) by packing the mohalla sabha by its cadre who will run amok and vitiate the process of sensible decision making as per rule of law."
URJA held its first 'protest meeting' on Wednesday morning and plans to hold more such meetings in South and East Delhi.
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The main fear of the civil society activists opposed to Swaraj Bill is that election to the mohalla sabhas(into which each ward will be divided) will turn into political contests between leading parties and that the RWAs, which are elected bodies and best placed to represent the voice of the residents will be further side-lined.
Many are also disappointed that the bill has not been place in the public domain and that there no clarity about the constitution, role and powers of the mohalla sabhas, except for unconfirmed reports in the media.
As per media reports, each of Delhi's 272 wards will be divided into 8-12 mohallas, depending on the size of the ward. Each mohalla will then elect four members (some reports say two) from among its residents.
Elected members of each mohalla sabha will represent the area ward committee. All decisions about the development, administration, welfare of mohalla will be taken by sabha.
According to media reports, mohalla sabhas will have powers to direct the police to register case, recall municipal councillors, issue certificates, act against encroachments and illegal constructions.
"The government is trying to bring democracy to the grassroots and that is, no doubt, commendable. But the manner in which they are doing it is not right… There should have been a wider level of consultation with the public regarding the Bill. We don't appreciate the way the government is negating the role of the RWAs in the city. RWAs are, after all, elected bodies that have been working for resident welfare all these years. Why not modify and strengthen them," Atul Goyal, member of an RWA in Central Delhi and one of the six senate members of URJA, said.
Elections to mohalla sabhas, says Goyal, is bound to become politicised. "The government is basically bringing politics and corruption to our doorstep. We are against this," he said.
Attempts to meet the Delhi government and members of the Swaraj bill drafting committee to get clarity on the mohalla sabhas, say RWA members, were not successful.
"The government has made up its mind on the Bill. And instead of putting the draft Bill in the public domain, it is choosing to leak parts of the draft through the media. There doesn't seem to be any point in knocking on the doors of the government at this stage," Goyal said.
Why hasn't the bill been placed in the public domain is a question civil society activists are asking.
"For a government that speaks about transparency, this is very disappointing. The RWAs have been the real face of civil society in Delhi. For the last 20 years they have been the ones who have grappled with civic issues with little or no funding. They are the ones who should rightfully be part of the mohalla sabhas and ward committees," says Ashutosh Dikshit, an Alaknanda resident who is a member of citizen's group and part of People's Action, the parent body of URJA.
Incidentally, the founder member of People's Action, Sanjay Kaul, joined the BJP in 2008 and is an active member of the party. Members leading the campaign, however, maintain that the opposition to mohalla sabhas is not politically motivated and apprehensions about mohalla sabhas are shared by RWAs across East, South and Central Delhi.
Speaking about the main fear among RWAs - that elections to mohalla sabhas will turn into political contests - Dikshit said, "Who will be the people who will stand for these elections? The three political parties will push their people through because money is involved in this. The elections may be fair, but it will politicise the decentralisation system. Presently, RWAs are not political. They don't handle money. Funds are not transferred to them."
"They only give their opinion on where money should be spent and the final decision lies with the councillor. Laws should have been made to ensure that the councillor works with RWAs. What the government could have done is to streamline a 20-year-old structure, draft a new law for RWAs," he said.
Dikshit sees the mohalla sabha model as a means to mobilise party cadre.
"There is a difference between genuine consultation and micro-level crowd management. This is akin to the paras of West Bengal, this will become a method by which parties mobilise cadre," he said.
The politicisation of the decentralisation process is an issue some AAP supporters, who are among RWA members, are also wary of.
Vivek Sharma is the general secretary of the NRI complex RWA in Greater Kailash 4 and is an AAP supporter who went on to become a member of the party.
"If 5000 people in one mohalla sabha have to elect two or four representatives it will lead to politicisation. I feel that all political parties will jump in – the BJP, Congress, the AAP, the BSP. I have been general secretary of the RWA for four years. I may support a party, but when it comes to the RWA as a whole, it is non-political. When elections come, we invite all party candidates," Sharma said.
Asked what he would like to say to the AAP government about its mohalla sabha proposal, Sharma said, "I would like to say that not all systems are bad. In our RWA, we are 11 members who have come through elections. No political party jumps into it. Instead of strengthening it, if you are doing away it, I think it is not right."
Sharma is also concerned by the lack of clarity and openness about the mohalla sabhas.
"It is not that I am against AAP. In fact, I am a member of AAP. They have brought something that was missing in our polity. We no feel that someone will listen to us. At the same time, following blindly is not good, not for us and not for them. There should be checks and balances…They should have educated the RWAs. If not consult, why not educate? Perhaps, it is a good thing they are proposing, but we don't know what they are coming up with," he said.
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