“Disrupting LG’s address is gross violation”: Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta

New Delhi [India], February 27 (ANI): Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta on Thursday condemned the disruption of Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena’s address, calling it a “gross violation” of the assembly’s decorum.

This incident led to the suspension of 12 AAP MLAs, including Opposition Leader Atishi, for disrupting the LG’s speech with slogans and protests.

“Disrupting the LG’s address is a gross violation. It is a violation of the decorum of the assembly… It is a normal procedure because if a member is expelled from the House, they will have to leave the Assembly premises. When his expulsion is over, they will be able to participate in all the proceedings…,” said the Delhi Assembly Speaker.

The controversy began when AAP MLAs alleged that portraits of Dr BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh were removed from the Chief Minister’s office. However, the BJP countered this claim by releasing an image showing the portraits were still present, just relocated to a side wall

The suspension of several opposition MLAs from the Assembly has drawn criticism from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has accused the ruling BJP of attempting to silence dissent.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Ravindra Singh Negi also lashed out at AAP legislators, accusing them of disregarding constitutional values and said, “…You (opposition) are roaming around with the picture of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, but you should follow the Constitution as told by him… They (AAP) feel that they are still in power, but they should remember that they are out of power now …”

Ahead of this, Delhi Minister and BJP leader Parvesh Verma also had slammed the opposition for disrupting the Lieutenant Governor’s speech in the Delhi Assembly, calling it a “big crime” and urging them to avoid such actions in the future.

Speaking to the media, Verma said, “Nothing has happened (in Delhi) for 10 years. The noise they made or the protest they did during the speech of the Lieutenant Governor also happened for the first time… The opposition can make as much noise as it wants in the House, but when the President or the Lieutenant Governor is giving his speech, then noise is not allowed during that time. In a way, this is a big crime… I expect them (the opposition) that they will not do this in future.”

On February 25, tensions escalated in the Delhi Assembly as Speaker Vijender Gupta suspended 12 MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Atishi and AAP MLA Gopal Rai, amid uproar ahead of the tabling of the CAG report.

As soon as the Lieutenant Governor (LG) began his address, AAP MLAs started raising slogans, leading to chaos in the House. Before the LG’s speech, AAP members also chanted “Jai Bhim” slogans.

Following the disruption, the MLAs were suspended from the House. The suspended MLAs then took their protest outside the Assembly, raising slogans against the state government while carrying posters of Babasaheb Ambedkar.