Atishi, Gopal Rai among 12 AAP MLAs suspended from Delhi assembly amid CAG showdown
As many 12 AAP MLAs, such as Atishi and Gopal Rai, were suspended from the Delhi assembly for shouting slogans during L-G VK Saxena's speech.
Delhi Speaker Vijender Gupta on Tuesday expelled 12 Aam Aadmi Party MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Atishi and Gopal Rai, for the day from the assembly for raising slogans during Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena's address.
Veer Singh Dhingan, Mukesh Ahlawat, Chaudhary Zubair Ahmed, Anil Jha, Vishesh Ravi and Jarnail Singh are among the other AAP leaders expelled from the assembly.
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Atishi alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party had disrespected BR Ambedkar by removing his portrait from the chief minister's office.
"The BJP has shown its true colours by removing Babasaheb Ambedkar's portrait. Does it believe Modi can replace Babasaheb?" Atishi said at a press conference.
Also Read | Rekha Gupta-led Delhi govt to table 14 CAG reports on AAP regime in assembly today
The former chief minister alleged that the BJP-led administration had removed Ambedkar's portraits from the chief minister's office in both the Delhi Secretariat and the assembly.
"The BJP has replaced the portrait of Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar with that of PM Narendra Modi...Does the BJP think that PM Modi is greater than Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar? When AAP MLAs raised the slogans of Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, they were suspended. But when BJP MLAs raised slogans of PM Modi, they did not say anything. This means that the BJP hates Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar," Atishi told reporters outside the Delhi assembly.
Delhi govt to table CAG reports
The development comes even as the newly formed BJP-led government in Delhi, under chief minister Rekha Gupta, will present 14 reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in the second session of the assembly on Tuesday.
The reports are expected to highlight financial irregularities during the previous AAP government.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva alleged that the CAG report is a list of the black deeds of the AAP. “We had promised the people of Delhi during the elections that whoever has committed corruption will have to answer. Today, we hope that after the speech of L-G, when the CAG report will be tabled, all their black deeds will come before the people of Delhi,” news agency ANI quoted Virendraa Sachdeva as saying.
Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa also commented on the reports, said, "Today, the CAG report, which exposed the scams of Arvind Kejriwal's government, will be tabled in the Delhi Assembly. Arvind Kejriwal had kept it hidden for the last 3 years... 14 such reports will be tabled one by one... Arvind Kejriwal had kept the report hidden all this time because he knew his loot, scams, and corruption would be exposed."
Delhi minister Ravinder Indraj Singh added, “The result of the 'AAP-da' government has been disastrous. All its ministers were jailed. A CAG report of all their ministries will be presented... The CAG report will reveal everything.”
The reports are expected to be tabled after the Lieutenant Governor's address in the Assembly.
Later in the day, the assembly will open the floor for the motion of thanks on the L-G's address. On February 26, the discussion on the motion of thanks will begin at 11am, followed by the election of the Deputy Speaker of the Delhi assembly.
