New Delhi: High drama unfolded in the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday as fifteen AAP MLAs, comprising former Chief Minister and current Opposition Leader Atishi, were suspended from the assembly for the day. The suspension was a result of an acrimonious exchange between AAP and incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the alleged liquor policy scam.
AAP Leaders Expelled Amid Assembly Chaos
On suspension was a senior AAP member, Gopal Rai, one of the rare party insiders to still hold a place on the party slate in the recent elections. In contrast, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal suffered a significant defeat as the BJP secured a sweeping victory, winning 48 out of 70 seats in Delhi. At the end of expulsions, Speaker Vijender Gupta adjourned the House to noon.
The CAG report tabled on Tuesday is among others that have been submitted to allege corruption in the now-over AAP-led Delhi Government. Another pending report investigates the ‘Sheeshmahal’ controversy, which claims that public funds were misused to renovate the Chief Minister’s bungalow with luxury fittings.
#WATCH | Delhi: After being suspended from the Legislative Assembly for the whole day, former CM and Delhi LoP Atishi says, “BJP has replaced the portrait of Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar with that of PM Modi in the CM office, cabinet ministers office…Is PM Modi bigger than Dr… pic.twitter.com/06yEnlWgOr
— ANI (@ANI) February 25, 2025
BJP-AAP Clash Over Ambedkar’s Portrait
The session started with the speech of Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, but during the course, things went sour when AAP MLAs created a ruckus. They uttered slogans of “Jai Bhim” and put up photographs of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh, on the grounds that their pictures have been pulled down from the Chief Minister’s office by the new BJP-led government.
AAP members alleged that the images had been substituted with photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which invited a lot of aghast. However, the BJP dismissed these allegations as baseless. The party released videos showing that Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh’s portraits had merely been relocated to the side walls, making space for images of Mahatma Gandhi, President Droupadi Murmu, and PM Modi.
AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha also strongly criticized BJP,alleging BJP has cradled Ambedkar disrespect. At the office of the Chief Minister, the image of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was replaced with that of PM Modi. When we asked it in the Assembly, we were put in a “hurricane. BJP does not like Ambedkar, but the country will not tolerate it”, he added.
BJP Counters With Corruption Allegations
BJP leaders retaliated, asserting that they would expose the corruption of the previous government. Delhi BJP member Parvesh Verma (who won over Kejriwal in New Delhi constituency) claimed “The CAG report has come at last. We will uncover the full extent of AAP’s corruption. The people of Delhi have been looted for years.”
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Sirsa echoed similar sentiments. Today, according to the CAG report which uncovers scams of Kejriwal, CAG report will be laid,” etc. There are 14 such reports, each revealing more corruption. Kejriwal kept them hidden for three years because he knew they would expose him, Sirsa said.
CAG’s Report on Liquor Policy
The CAG report on the alleged liquor policy scam as reviewed which can be formally tabled either today or tomorrow, has been very damaging to the AAP, etc. According to the report, implementation of the policy was “sub-optimal” and did not reach its aims.
According to this report, who is key, one of the main complaints is that license issuance for alcohol is not properly scrutinised. It also says that the AAP government did not assess the financial and management skills of the companies that hold these licenses. The report also highlights the importance of “responsibility and accountability” associated with the errors as well as the requirement of a more robust enforcement mechanism to avoid similar errors in the future.
AAP’s Protest Continues Outside Assembly
After being suspended, Atishi and other expelled MLAs continued to demonstrate outside the Delhi Assembly. Carrying placards and slogans, they criticized the BJP-led government and demanded the removal of the portrait of Ambedkar and place it back where it is.
As the confrontation intensifies, the battle between AAP and BJP over allegations of corruption and governance in Delhi is far from over. Following the publication of the CAG report in public, political tension in the capital is set to intensify in the coming days.
(Input from Agencies)
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