Delhi Leader of Opposition (LoP) Atishi criticised the barring of suspended AAP MLAs from the Assembly premises, calling it entirely illegal and a violation of established rules. She argued that, as per the rule book, suspended members are not prohibited from entering the Assembly complex, including the Gandhi statue area and the Leader of Opposition’s office. Despite this, AAP MLAs were unlawfully stopped from entering.
Meanwhile, AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar strongly opposed being forced out of the Assembly premises after his expulsion from the House on Monday.
AAP Delhi State Convenor Gopal Rai took to X and wrote, “The BJP wants to run the Delhi Assembly with dictatorship instead of following the Constitution and rules, just like they do with the country’s Parliament. A BJP MLA is allowed to speak for 40 minutes, while an AAP MLA’s voice is silenced in just 4 minutes. Why were elected MLAs banned from entering the Assembly?”
In Assembly, LoP Atishi addressed the House, explaining that the suspension of a member from the Assembly extends to the Assembly chamber, galleries, control rooms of the Secretariat, Speaker and Deputy Speaker’s chambers, committee rooms, library, reading hall, party rooms, and all areas under the Assembly Secretariat’s jurisdiction.
She further said, “However, the rule book does not include the Assembly lawns, the area around the Gandhi statue, or the Leader of Opposition’s office. AAP MLAs protested near Babasaheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s statue, which, as per the rule book, does not fall under the Assembly premises.”
The Delhi LoP asserted, “You unlawfully and unconstitutionally stopped us from entering through the gate. There is no provision in the rule book that bars our entry, nor was any order issued to restrict us.”
After being suspended from the House for a day, AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar questioned the unprecedented move. “I was removed from the House, and I stepped outside. Now they are asking me to leave the premises altogether. Tomorrow, will they tell me to leave my home? Will they ask me to leave the country?” He questioned.
The AAP MLA further noted that this is the first time they are hearing that suspension from the House means eviction from the Assembly premises. “Even when the BJP was in opposition for ten years, this never happened. It’s fortunate they haven’t asked us to leave Delhi itself. I was speaking about the CAG report, but they don’t want us to raise these issues,” he said.
Kuldeep Kumar further stated that the ruling party expects the opposition to praise them. “They already have BJP members for that. Our job is to expose their lies. They neither want to discuss the CAG report nor care about the people of Delhi. They refuse to talk about giving ₹2,500 to women or why they removed Babasaheb Ambedkar’s portrait.”
“They are trying to run Delhi with an authoritarian mindset, but the people will not forgive them. Their members speak for 20 minutes, yet we aren’t allowed even five. They want to run the House through dictatorial orders and merely distract the people of Delhi,” said the AAP MLA.
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