On Thursday, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs staged a protest outside the Delhi Assembly after reportedly being denied entry to the premises ahead of the third day of the new session under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
Atishi, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Delhi Assembly, along with other AAP MLAs, sat on protest after being blocked from entering the Assembly. According to AAP leaders, the police prevented them from entering the premises on the orders of the Speaker, with barricades set up along the entry roads.
Speaking to ANI, Atishi criticized the actions, saying, “The police officers are saying that we (AAP MLAs) are suspended from the assembly, so we will not even be allowed to enter the assembly premises. This is undemocratic and unconstitutional. To date, this has never happened in the history of the country.” She further emphasized that even in the Parliament, protests are allowed under the Gandhi statue, despite suspensions, and questioned how they could be stopped from entering the premises.
In a post on X, Atishi wrote, “AAP MLAs were suspended for three days for chanting ‘Jai Bhim.’ Today, they are not even being allowed to enter the Vidhan Sabha premises.”
The controversy began after Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta extended the suspension of all 21 AAP MLAs for three days on February 25, after they were marshaled out for raising slogans and protesting the alleged removal of photographs of Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh from the Chief Minister’s office.
In response, BJP MLA Mohan Singh Bisht criticized the AAP’s behavior, calling it “wrong” and stressing that MLAs should respect the proceedings, especially when the Lieutenant Governor (LG) is addressing the Assembly. He added, “They should bring a change in their behavior… they need to have knowledge of the decorum that needs to be maintained.”
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Satish Upadhyay vowed to discuss corruption allegations based on a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report in the Assembly, accusing AAP of benefiting its close relatives and causing a revenue loss of over Rs 2,000 crore to Delhi. He declared that the “real face” of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet would be exposed during the proceedings.
As the political tensions escalate, both parties remain firm in their positions, with the AAP continuing to protest the alleged injustices while the BJP plans to bring attention to corruption allegations in the assembly.
