BJP MLAs marshalled out of Delhi Assembly

The Delhi Assembly's special session witnessed high drama on Thursday as BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta and party MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa were marshalled out of the house for creating a ruckus.

The two, along with another opposition MLA Jagdish Pradhan, were demanding an apology from Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia for "misleading" the Assembly by levelling allegations against the Centre during a discussion on Wednesday on the demand for full statehood to Delhi.

Speaker Ram Niwas Goel asked the opposition MLAs to maintain silence and to take their seats after they trooped near his podium.

However, Gupta and Sirsa continued to voice their demand, following which the Speaker asked the house marshals to take the two out of the house.

Later, Goel told the house that he will seek Sisodia's views on the matter.

"If they (BJP MLAs) had an issue, they could have raised it under Rule 66 (A)," Goel said.

As per Rule 66 (A) of the Legislative Assembly of National Capital Territory of Delhi Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business, 2002, a member can raise a complaint involving breach of privilege or contempt either of a member or of the house or of a committee, with the consent of the Speaker.

The opposition, earlier in the day, submitted a memorandum to the Speaker, saying the Delhi Government is "misleading the Assembly by levelling false allegations against the Centre during the discussion on full statehood to Delhi".

In the memorandum, the opposition MLAs said that the "Jan Lokpal Bill is not lying with the Centre but the Delhi government's Administrative Reform Minister Kailash Gehlot since September 2017."

In his speech on Wednesday, Sisodia had said that the Jan Lokpal could have been set up within six months of the passage of the bill, but it was "lying with the Centre".

--IANS

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