On Monday, Joshi and Rana had engaged in a heated exchange after Joshi took an aggressive stand over the issue of cleaning a stormwater drain in his Ward 15 in Kaladarshan area. Joshi had contended that his pleas to the civic body officials, including the Municipal Commissioner, had gone unheeded since January this year even as “it was evident that the stormwater drain had not been cleaned since long and was the primary cause of flooding in the area during monsoon.”

After the verbal spat between Rana and Joshi, Mayor Pinky Soni had visited the spot with Joshi and directed the VMC to begin immediate cleaning of the drain lines, which was undertaken on Tuesday.

Following the showdown on Monday, Class I officers of the VMC met the Mayor on Tuesday and demanded an apology from Joshi for “insulting” the Municipal Commissioner, failing which, the officers threatened to “cease overtime work beyond the official duty hours of 6.10 pm”.

On Wednesday, even as the General Board meeting of the civic body proceeded with decorum, Joshi said he would put forth his side of the story before the party.

Reacting to the notice, Joshi said, “I have not seen the show-cause notice but I believe that the newly-appointed city chief (Jayprakash Soni) has given me a chance to put forth my side of the story. He may have received complaints about me but I know that in the last four years of my tenure as corporator, I have only raised the questions of the people, to whom I am answerable. I will apprise the new city chief about my work and will reply in due course… My points raised on Monday pertained to the issue of the people. The drainage needed cleaning and should have been done long ago.”

Joshi added that in the past, regular cleaning of the drains had been undertaken without requiring a tendering process, which the Municipal Commissioner had been speaking about.

Joshi rejected suggestions of tendering an apology to the VMC officers. He said, “I have no ego and the argument was for the question of the people. I brought it to the notice of the officers, who were responsible for cleaning it but shirking from their work. I am glad that after raising the issue, the work was partly done. Had it been done in time, the homes of the people in Raopura assembly constituency would not have been repeatedly inundated during the monsoon… So, if I have to apologise, it will only be to the people of my ward, who suffered because of the VMC’s inaction. I am grateful to the Mayor that she visited the spot and issued the directions.”

While Rana remained unavailable for comment, senior BJP leaders said that the manner in which the arguments took place had “damaged the party’s image”.

A senior leader said, “Ashish Joshi has been indulging in many acts that are against the decorum of the party. We have issued a show-cause notice this time as during the argument he made comments to the effect that earlier BJP leaders would have thrown out the Municipal Commissioner, which reflects poorly on the party’s image. We intend to work for the people without breaking protocols. The party thought it was inappropriate for Joshi to have conducted himself in this manner before the officer, who holds a respectful position.”