MUMBAI, SEPT 14: The Bandra Hindu Association (BHA) has a problem on its hands that it seems unable to make a clean sweep of: 200 brooms lying in a corner of the association's premises at Bandra. The local H West ward office swept aside the BHA's offer to donate the brooms at a function last fortnight, saying it would violate the electoral code of conduct. What seems to have the ward officer's back up is that the `intermediary' who made the offer to donate the brooms was not a BHA member, but a local BJP corporator who is the wife of the BHA president.The brooms were purchased for the `Clean Linking Road campaign', carried out by the association along with the Linking Road Residents' Association in April this year. After the event, the BHA thought of donating the brooms to the local ward office, and towards that end, a function was organised for September 7, said BHA secretary Ajit Manyal. But, the overtures for the function were made to the ward office by BJP corporator Kranti Sathe, wife of BHA presidentArun Sathe.
Explained Kranti Sathe, ``The function was not a political event. No formal invites were sent, just an oral invitation last fortnight to the ward officer. He declined to attend but said he would send two junior officers. I did not attend the function myself as I was busy, but I kept calling up the BMC from home asking that somebody attend the event.'' She added that she had even lodged her protest with municipal commissioner K Nalinakshan, who reportedly agreed that the poll code would not be violated if the brooms were accepted.
Even if she was a BJP member, she had a private life, added Sathe. ``I can do several things in my personal capacity. Will they stop cleaning the place opposite my house just because I live there? They are stretching the code of conduct just to wriggle out of situations,'' she bristled.
Added Manyal, ``Kranti Sathe is not a BHA member, but her entire family is deeply involved with the association. The corporation cried hoarse over its tight money situation, but wasrejecting community-grown schemes which were for the greater common good, Manyal lamented.
Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Zone III) S S Shinde pointed out that if the BHA wanted to hand over the brooms, the members could simply have dropped into the ward office. But the association insisted that the brooms be handed over by Sathe at the function, he told Express Newsline. ``We never declined to take the brooms at any point. But why the formality and the need to hold a fucnion for this? The association members could have dropped by any time and given us the brooms.''
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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