New Delhi: Twelve Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), including former Chief Minister Atishi, who currently serves as the Leader of the Opposition, were suspended from the Delhi Assembly for the day on Tuesday morning. This action followed a confrontation with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding an auditor’s report related to the purported liquor policy scam.
Gopal Rai, a senior leader of AAP and one of the few prominent figures to secure a victory in the February 5 election—unlike party chief Arvind Kejriwal—was also removed from the Assembly.
Subsequently, Speaker Vijender Gupta announced an adjournment of the House until noon.
The report from the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG), which is set to be presented today, is one of more than a dozen reports alleging corruption against the AAP, which governed Delhi until the BJP’s electoral success this month.
Another report examines the ‘sheeshmahal’ scandal, which claims that taxpayer funds were utilized to enhance the luxury fittings of the bungalow occupied by Mr. Kejriwal during his tenure as Chief Minister.
These allegations have persisted against the AAP and Mr. Kejriwal, who faced imprisonment for several months on corruption charges, as did his former deputy, Manish Sisodia, in the lead-up to the election.
The altercation commenced with Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena’s introductory remarks to the Assembly.
AAP MLAs raised slogans of ‘Jai Bhim’ and displayed images of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in protest against the alleged removal of his photographs, as well as those of Bhagat Singh, from the office of the new Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta. The party contended that these images had been substituted with those of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The BJP has rejected this assertion and accused the AAP of dishonesty. Videos from Ms. Gupta’s office, which were made public by the BJP, revealed that the portraits of Dr. Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh, previously displayed behind the Chief Minister’s desk during the AAP administration, have been relocated to the side walls and replaced with images of Mahatma Gandhi, President Droupadi Murmu, and Mr. Modi.
In response, Atishi stated her intention to protest until the original photos are restored.
Under the leadership of the former Chief Minister, the expelled MLAs gathered outside the Delhi Assembly to persist in their demonstrations, brandishing placards and chanting slogans against the newly formed BJP government.
AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha expressed his outrage, stating, “In the Chief Minister’s office, the portrait of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was substituted with that of PM Modi… When we questioned the Speaker about whether PM Modi is more significant than Dr. Ambedkar, we were suspended… They (BJP) despise Dr. Ambedkar, but the nation will not tolerate this…”
Further protests are anticipated, particularly when the CAG report regarding the alleged liquor policy is presented, either later today as the BJP plans or tomorrow.
The report critiques the policy introduced by the AAP during Arvind Kejriwal’s tenure as Chief Minister, indicating that “actual implementation was sub-optimal and objectives were not achieved.”
Among its numerous critical observations, the CAG report highlights a “lack of scrutiny of the business entities (to which the AAP government sold liquor licenses) concerning their financial capacity and management expertise.” The report emphasizes that “responsibility and accountability should be established for the observed lapses, and the enforcement mechanism should be reinforced.”
