Bhiwani MC chief's husband chairs meeting as 'proxy'

Tribune News Service

Deepender Deswal

Bhiwani, January 16

Amid widespread criticism of ‘sarpanch pati’, a practice where effective political power and decision-making authority is wielded by husbands of elected panchayat women representatives, a case of a ‘chairperson pati’ has come to light in Bhiwani.

While Preeti Tanwar is the chairperson of the Bhiwani Municipal Council, her husband Bhawani Pratap Singh has allegedly been exercising undue influence on the work of his spouse. Bhawani, who is also a member of the civic body from ward number 7, is learnt to have chaired a meeting of the council today, acting as his wife’s “proxy”. Sources said the meeting was called by Bhawani and attended by safai darogas (sanitation workers) and officials of the private firm that has been allotted the contract for cleanliness and sanitation in the town. Sanitary Inspector Sanjay Kumar said the meeting was presided over by Bhawani. The aim was to chalk out a plan for cleanliness, he said.

Admitting that he had called the meeting, Bhawani maintained that the chairperson (his wife) had delivered a child about two weeks ago and was recuperating. “It wasn’t a meeting of the House and was only a routine event. I am a council member too and we get things done with mutual cooperation,” he claimed.

Bhawani also said that being a former president of the Bhiwani MC, he had “always remained proactive in civic body affairs”.

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