NEW DELHI
Leader of Opposition Atishi on Friday wrote to Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta stating that it is the democratic right of the suspended Opposition members to hold a protest inside Assembly’s premises.
The former Chief Minister said it was “the first time” suspended members were not allowed to enter the Assembly.
However, Mr. Gupta said he acted as per the rules which bars suspended members to enter Assembly’s premises. On February 25, as many as 21 Opposition legislators, including Ms. Atishi, were suspended for three days for disrupting the L-G’s inaugural address to the newly constituted House. The lawmakers were holding a protest in the House for the second consecutive day over the alleged removal of the portraits of B.R. Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh from Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s office. The BJP has termed AAP’s allegations “baseless”.
In the letter to the Speaker, Ms. Atishi wrote, “Yesterday, when suspended AAP members reached the Assembly to assemble at the Gandhi statue, they were stopped 200 metres before and barred from entering the premises. This is not an insult of members, but also the people’s mandate.”
“You [Speaker] were Leader of Opposition for many years. You were allowed to enter the Assembly premises and hold protests even during your suspension. This was because it was your democratic right. But today, this right has been snatched away from the Opposition members,” Ms. Atishi added.
She alleged that AAP legislators were discriminated during the House’s functioning. “AAP members were punished for chanting Jai Bhim, while the BJP members who chanted Modi Modi during Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena’s address to the House faced no consequences,” Ms. Atishi said.
“Hon’ble Speaker, you are the guardian of this Assembly. The guardian must do equal justice to all the members, whether from the ruling party or the Opposition,” she underlined.
Ms. Atishi has also written to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking an appointment to discuss the Assembly’s functioning in an “undemocratic manner”.
‘Rules followed’
Responding to Ms. Atishi’s allegations, the Speaker said suspending the AAP members was not an “arbitrary decision” but based on “code of conduct” that state that interruptions during the L-G’s address be treated as “disrespect towards the L-G and contempt of the House”.
“According to Assembly Rule 277, a member who has been suspended from the service of the House shall be barred from entering the premises of the House and from taking part in the proceedings of the House and Committees,” Mr. Gupta added.
He warned that if there is any misconduct in the future, similar action will be taken.
Published - March 01, 2025 01:51 am IST
