Twelve Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs were suspended from the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday for causing disruptions during the customary address by Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Vinai Kumar Saxena.
The MLAs raised slogans of “Jai Bhim” and protested against the alleged removal of portraits of Bhagat Singh and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar from the Delhi Chief Minister’s office. Despite repeated warnings from Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta to maintain order, the protests continued, leading to the suspension of the MLAs. Following the announcement, the House was adjourned until noon.
Among the suspended legislators was Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Atishi. The other suspended MLAs include Gopal Rai, Anil Jha, Jarnail Singh, Vishesh Ravi, Som Dutt, Surender Singh, Veer Singh Dhingan, Mukesh Ahlawat, Virender Singh Kadian, Kuldeep Kumar, and Chaudhary Zubair Ahmad.
The protests stemmed from allegations made by AAP leaders that the BJP-led government had removed portraits of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh from the Chief Minister’s office. On Monday, former Chief Minister Atishi shared an image of herself seated in the CM’s office with the portraits of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh visible in the background. She compared this to a photo of the current Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, which showed portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, President Droupadi Murmu, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi behind the CM’s chair.
In response, the BJP released an image showing that portraits of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh were placed on an adjoining wall in the office. A video later surfaced confirming the presence of these portraits alongside those of Gandhi, Murmu, and Modi.
The three-day Assembly session began on Monday with the oath-taking ceremony of newly elected MLAs and the nomination of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. During Tuesday’s session, the government is set to present reports from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). The report noted that the implementation of certain policies did not meet the intended objectives.
– IANS