Opposition (LoP) On Thursday, Atishi staged a dharna in front of the Delhi Assembly opposing Speaker Vijender Gupta’s suspension of 21 Opposition MLAs. It’s an unprecedented decision, it stays, and it shows a somber age for Indian legislations, with the elected members not being allowed entry into the House.
Atishi asserted, “This is the first time in the history of the country that the elected members are being barred from a legislature.” She clarified that the sit-in was not a planned protest but an outcome of being refused entry into the building by security staff, who, according to reports, were unable to produce any documents regarding the order of the Speaker.
AAP MLA from Kalkaji further contributed that Speaker Vijender Gupta initially suspended the MLAs for three sittings but the Assembly secretariat later extended the suspension until the whole session, likely to March 3.
Putting the suspensions in perspective, Atishi posed the question, “Why is the ruling BJP so afraid of the name of Baba Saheb Ambedkar?” This came after events during Tuesday’s House proceedings when AAP MLAs were suspended for objecting to pictures of Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh being taken off Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s office.
The BJP, however, dismissed AAP’s claims of any wrongdoing in the Assembly. Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma stated, “It is just the beginning. Many firsts are going to happen in the new Assembly because they did nothing constructive in the last 10 years.” He labeled the behavior of AAP MLAs during the speech by Lieutenant Governor V. K. Saxena as detrimental to parliamentary decorum.
BJP MLA Kailash Gahlot also participated, claiming AAP MLAs did not have a right to cry foul, recalling suspensions of BJP members on such occasions in the past.
