Delhi Assembly: BJP MLAs stage walkout over Question Hour, Rule 280

The BJP MLAs walked out of the Delhi Assembly on Friday within minutes after start of the Winter Session.  The BJP MLAs led by Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta walked out of the House after Speaker Ram Niwas Goel declared the issues to be raised under Rule 280 to be deemed read by the listed members.  They also protested that no Question Hour was provided in the three days session so that the MLAs could question the government.  The AAP government is "suppressing" the voice of the opposition by not allowing them to speak in the Delhi Assembly under Rule 280 despite accepting their notices, Gupta charged in a statement.  The BJP leader said the opposition wanted to discuss several critical issues, including the extravagant expenditure on former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's bungalow, issuance of voter ID cards allegedly to Rohingyas and inclusion of their names in the voters lists, and reports of CAG yet to be tabled in the Assembly.  "The opposition sought accountability from the government on these matters, but their voice was stifled and they were not allowed to speak on these pressing issues," he charged.  Gupta accused the AAP of shirking its responsibilities and noted that the current assembly session did not include any provision for a Question Hour.  None of the assembly sessions held this year had the Question Hour, which is a violation of the constitutional rights of the MLAs, he said.  The opposition had urged the government to include short-duration discussions and calling attention motion proposals in the assembly proceedings to ensure the participation of the MLAs but these demands were outrightly rejected, Gupta said.  The people of Delhi have recognized the "malpractices" of the so-called "honest" government of the AAP and have made up their minds to teach them a lesson by voting them out of power in the next assembly elections, he added.