The Delhi Assembly Secretariat on Tuesday issued an order banning the entry of MPs and political party leaders inside its premises.
AAP and BJP MLAs trooped into the well of the House creating a ruckus with the proceedings, which were adjourned twice. When the House met again at 12 noon, Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla adjourned proceedings amid uproar by legislators from both sides who came with placards.
BJP leader and South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri, however, arrived at the Assembly reception and also told reporters that all his party MLAs will take part in the session, irrespective of the Secretariat order. He was stopped at the gate. “The deputy speaker has observed that as members from the ruling and opposition parties are staging protests inside the Assembly complex, security arrangements should be tightened in and around the Assembly complex to ensure no untoward incidents take place,” the order read.
It said only one visitor, accompanied by an MLA, will be allowed to enter the Assembly complex after identity verification. “However, Members of Parliament or political party leaders shall not be allowed to enter the Assembly complex keeping in view their security and in view of the prevailing tense situation," it added.
AAP and BJP legislators protested overnight on the intervening night of Monday-Tuesday at the Delhi Assembly. The protest came ahead of voting on a confidence motion proposed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
AAP leaders demanded the resignation of Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
While the AAP MLAs are pressing for a probe against Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena in a six-year-old case, the BJP leaders demanded the sacking of ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain.
AAP has accused Saxena of pressuring two of his subordinates to Rs 1,400 crore demonetised in 2016 when he was Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) chairman.
Saxena recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged corruption in the implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 and the AAP's accusations that he was "interfering" in the city government's work.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led party’s MLAs sang songs such as ‘Hum Honge Kamyaab’ and raised slogans against Saxena while protesting near the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the assembly, while BJP MLAs staged their dharna near the statues of Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdev.
Alleging that the Delhi government was using the Assembly “to abuse the Centre”, the BJP said it will raise the issue with President Droupadi Murmu.
(with PTI inputs)
