'Sheila should be more responsible'

BJP nominee and law professor at Delhi University, Rajni Abbi, was elected new mayor of the city on Wednesday. Abbi defeated her rival Savita Sharma of Congress by 88 votes. The second woman from the party to hold this post, Abbi said her priority will be tou00a0 ensure accountability in the system. She spoke to MiD DAY after her victory.


In charge: Newly-elected Delhi Mayor Rajni Abbi and Deputy Mayor
Anil Sharma at Town Hall, Chandni Chowk in Delhi on Wednesday.
Pic/Subhash Barolia

How are you feeling at the moment? Were you expecting this victory?
It is an amazing feeling of joy and responsibility. I was not at all expecting it, but I had faith in God and in the blessings of my family members. Defeating anyone is not an easy task, but with all my supporters, I am here to serve my city with honesty.

What will be your priority as a mayor?
My priority will be to improve the image of Municipal Corporation of Delhi in the eyes of the public.
Many people still don't trust the Corporation and I want to restore that trust. We have already introduced e- governance and will introduce some more new ideas to ensure accountability in the system.

What do you think about government's decision to split the MCD?
I am totally against it. The government is trying to impose unnecessary burden on the general public andu00a0 weaken the corporation. Gradually, they will end the role of MCD in every area of public concern. I am still not able to understand the reason behind the decision. If they are finding any problem, they should find a solution for it, and what they have decided is not at all a solution.

How do you rate Sheila Dikshit as a chief minister? As a woman, do you feel that she has been able to fulfil her responsibilities towards women?
I think being a woman, the chief minister should be more sensitive towardsu00a0 the problems of women. Many a times, there have been instances where she has given irresponsible statements blaming the girls and women who have been harassed. I think instead of putting blame on the girls, she should try to strengthen the system.

You have been a Delhi University law professor. Any specific programme for the university and its students?
As a mayor, I have no priority for Delhi University. But, I will like to improve the infrastructure of the university. A lot can be done to improve the infrastructure of the colleges in the university so that students can also feel good while studying.

How do you spend your time when you aren't working?
I simply love reading and listening to soft music. Whenever I am free, I take out my old collection of movies and watch them. My favourite actors are Amitabh Bachhan and Aamir Khan.

Office of profit row
After BJP councillor Rajni Abbi was elected the new Mayor of Delhi, a controversy erupted over her election. The opposition Congress claimed that she holds an office of profit and cannot take over the top post in the corporation. Stormy scenes were witnessed as soon as the election process started in the MCD House, with Congress members raising slogans and coming into the well of the House.

They objected to Abbi's candidature alleging that she was holding an office of profit as she was a DU professor and was taking salary for it. Sloganeering went on for some time, prompting counter- slogans by BJP councillors, but Congress members later relented and allowed the election to go on.

Leader of MCD House, Subhash Arya, as well as outgoing Mayor Prithvi Raj Sawhney, who was the presiding officer, read out a letter issued by DU on July 30, 2007, after Abbi's election as a civic body member. According to the letter, DU allowed the professor to take up the responsibilities of a councillor on some conditions.

The letter said it should not interfere with her academic responsibilities and that she would not "receive any remuneration/fees/salary from MCD (this will not include sitting fee etc)." It said the university reserves the right to withdraw the permission if academic responsibilities are not carried out by her properly. After her election, Abbi said the office of Mayor is not an office of profit as she will not be getting salary and she can hold both the offices as she had taken permission from DU to work as councillor.

'Mayor's' nest
A 50-year-oldu00a0 security guardu00a0 suffered multiple fractures in his leg after a car of one of the supporters of the newly-elected mayor ran over him on Wednesday. The incident occurred outside the Town Hall when a group of people wanted to go inside to meet the newly-elected mayor but were stopped by the guards posted there.u00a0 In the ensuing chaos, one of the supporters who was driving a car bearing a registration number RJ 16 UA 0560 tried to go in.

When the guards tried to stop the car, the driver sped on hitting a guard Mohan Chandra Joshi. Joshi fell on the ground and the car ran over his leg. He was immediately taken to Bara Hindu Rao Hospital where doctors said he had suffered multiple fractures. Meanwhile, the driver fled from the spot. The victim Mohan is a resident of Burari, in Delhi. "I had no knowledge of the accident but I will visit to the injured guard," Abbi old MiD DAY.