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Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, Atishi, on Sunday asked the Speaker Vijender Gupta to revoke the suspension of four AAP MLAs ahead of the Budget Session. In the Winter Session of the Delhi Assembly, the Speaker had suspended AAP MLAs Sanjeev Jha, Som Dutt, Kuldeep Kumar, and Jarnail Singh for allegedly disrupting the House.

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Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Atishi warned the ruling BJP that no AAP MLAs would attend the Budget Session if the suspension is not revoked. "The BJP is trying to suppress the opposition's voice. When their MLAs stalled the House for days, no action was taken. But our 4 MLAs were suspended in the last session and now in the Budget session too. Just because they raised questions against the BJP?... AAP demands that you immediately revoke the suspensions; otherwise, none of our MLAs will participate in the House," she said.

Atishi Writes to Speaker, Alleges Undemocratic Actions

Atishi also wrote a letter to Speaker Gupta, accusing him of being "inconsistent with democratic values." The Delhi LoP alleged that the suspended MLAs were not allowed to enter the Assembly premises to attend meetings in between the two sessions.

She wrote, "Honourable Speaker, after the formation of the eighth Legislative Assembly, the ruling party and the opposition unanimously elected you as their Speaker, hoping that your experience would ensure the House's functioning in a democratic and lawful manner. It is with deep regret that I have to say that your attitude towards the opposition, from the first meeting of the first session to the first meeting of the fourth session, is not only worrying but also inconsistent with democratic values."

She said that not allowing a public representative in the Assembly premises has set a new precedent in the country. Atishi said, "Expelling the entire opposition, including the Leader of the Opposition, from the House for criticising the government and raising issues of public interest--not just from the House but also from the House premises--is against the dignity of the House. In the history of independent India, no Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council, or the country's highest legislature, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, has witnessed such an instance where the entire opposition was simultaneously expelled not only from the House but also from the House premises. Your action has set a new precedent--one that is not only undemocratic but also serves to completely undermine the dignity and decorum of the Legislative Assembly."

"A democratically elected public representative was treated with contempt and was barred from entering the Assembly premises for the entire duration of the session--an act that is highly reprehensible and utterly unjustifiable. This also constitutes a violation of the privileges accorded to an elected public representative," she added.

"During the recently concluded Assembly session, it was observed that members of the ruling party prevented the House from functioning for three consecutive days, thereby precluding any discussion on several critical issues concerning Delhi. Yet, you did not order the expulsion of a single member. Conversely, when members of the Opposition attempted to raise certain points in the House, you not only had them removed from the House but also subsequently barred them from the Assembly premises entirely, deciding to deny them entry for the entire duration of the session. During this period, even when members arrived to attend committee meetings and other scheduled meetings--for which prior notice had been given--they were stopped at the Assembly gates. This demonstrates a deliberate attempt to infringe upon the privileges of elected representatives and to obstruct their statutory participation in Assembly committees," the letter read.

Budget Session Preparations

The Delhi Legislative Assembly is set to commence its Budget Session from March 23 to 25, with Speaker Vijender Gupta reviewing House arrangements and announcing several first-of-its-kind initiatives, including a live rendition of 'Vande Mataram' and an AI-enabled chatbot for legislative research. (ANI)