The six-day Winter Session of the Delhi Assembly kicked off on a stormy note on Tuesday, with the Congress-led government moving a resolution to expel all the BJP MLAs who raised demands for “House Committee” to go into the alleged financial irregularities in the just concluded Commonwealth Games.
Leader of the Opposition V.K. Malhotra termed eviction of party MLAs “murder of democracy” and “autocracy” on the part of the Sheila Dikshit-led city government.
The BJP MLAs, holding placards, started their demand of an enquiry by a “House committee” in the alleged financial bungling in the preparations of the Commonwealth Games as soon as the Assembly convened on the first day of the Winter Session. Seeking suspension of the Question Hour, Prof. Malhotra accused the government of making attempts to cover up corruption in the Games projects. Prof. Malhotra’s assertions invited strong protest from the treasury benches.
After the BJP MLAs trooped into the well of the House, the Speaker Yoganand Shastri first adjourned the House for 20 minutes and again for 25 minutes, as the pandemonium persisted.
Amid the din in the House, Delhi transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely moved a resolution under the Rule 271 for expulsion of all the BJP MLAs, which was passed by voice vote and afterwards the marshals were called in to evict the Opposition MLAs.
Reacting sharply to the expulsion, Prof. Malhotra later told reporters that the move of the ruling party was a murder of democracy and total autocracy. “Even in the Parliament the expulsion was resorted to once and afterwards it was decided never to use this provision. However, this practice has become quite frequent in the Delhi Assembly in a bid to silence the Opposition,” stated Prof. Malhotra.
Meanwhile, the police detained all the BJP MLAs who were taking out a protest march outside the House.
Later speaking to the reporters, Mrs Dikshit, while rejecting the demand of an enquiry by a House Committee, stated that the Opposition wanted to politicise the ongoing investigation by several agencies in the Commonwealth Games.