New Delhi, 28 February: Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta replied to the letter of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA and Leader of Opposition in the House Atishi, suspended from the special session of the Delhi Assembly, and termed the action as appropriate and legal.
On Friday, Vijender Gupta expressed surprise in her letter and said that the opposition, which has been in power for the last 12 years, is not aware of the rules and regulations related to the conduct of work in the House.
Vijender Gupta, while giving pressure on the letter written to Atishi, said that if any member interrupts the address of the Lieutenant Governor while he is present in the House, whether it is through speech, raising a particular point, walkout or any other means, then it will be considered disrespect towards the Lieutenant Governor and contempt of the House, and necessary action can be taken by placing it in the category of indiscipline conduct. He said that
following this established rule and in accordance with parliamentary procedures, a resolution was moved and passed by majority, under which 21 MLAs who were disrupting the business of the House were suspended for three days. This decision was not arbitrary but based on parliamentary rules and precedents.
Vijender Gupta said in his letter that Rule 277, point 3 (d) clearly states,
“A member who is suspended from the service of the House shall be barred from entering the premises of the House and participating in the proceedings of the House and Committees.”
So, it is clear that when a member is suspended, he is denied entry into these confined areas, which is an established parliamentary tradition.
Alleging an attempt to divert attention from serious issues of the Assembly, Vijender Gupta said in the letter that it is sad that instead of discussing serious issues related to the people of Delhi, especially the CAG reports, the opposition resorted to disrupting the House. These reports pertain to the period when the AAP was in power and you served as a senior minister and eventually as the Chief Minister. If the CAG reports submitted to the government are withheld from public and legislative scrutiny for a long time, it would be against the constitutional system.
Vijender Gupta urged the Leader of Opposition to exhort his fellow MLAs to maintain the dignity of this House and ensure constructive participation in the House.
