In a contentious session of the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday morning, twelve MLAs from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), including ex-Chief Minister and now Leader of the Opposition Atishi, were suspended for the day following a clash with the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) over an auditor's report. Gopal Rai, a senior AAP leader, was among those ejected, while Speaker Vijender Gupta adjourned the House until noon.
The report by the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG), which is one among many alleging corruption by the former AAP government, was poised to be tabled. It criticizes the erstwhile liquor policy devised during AAP's rule, citing sub-optimal implementation and lack of scrutiny of business entities granted liquor licenses.
Additionally, the assembly faced heated protests following allegations by AAP that photos of Dr. BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh had been removed from the office of the newly elected Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, to be replaced by those of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP released videos countering these claims, showing photographs of Dr. Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh relocated rather than removed, supplanted by images of Mahatma Gandhi, President Droupadi Murmu, and Mr. Modi.
Atishi and her fellow suspended MLAs staged a protest outside the Assembly, demanding a restoration of the original decor. AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha vociferously criticized the BJP, alleging disrespect towards Dr. Ambedkar and questioning the removal of his portrait.
This session came in the wake of the BJP's electoral victory, capturing 48 out of 70 seats, significantly ousting AAP from power. The CAG report's critical points will likely fuel further disputes in the Assembly as it scrutinizes the former government's handling of the liquor policy and calls for accountability.