Atishi alleges bias in Delhi Assembly; Speaker Gupta calls charges 'political'

New Delhi: A fresh political row has erupted as Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Delhi Assembly Atishi on Wednesday accused Speaker Vijender Gupta of "undermining democratic norms" by selectively targeting opposition MLAs during the Assembly session that concluded on March 3. In a letter addressed to Speaker Gupta on Wednesday, Atishi alleged that opposition legislators were unfairly marshalled out during the lieutenant governor’s address (on February 25) for chanting slogans, whereas BJP MLAs faced no action for similar sloganeering. "During the address of the L-G (V K Saxena), sloganeering was done by MLAs of the opposition and the ruling party. The opposition raised slogans of 'Jai Bheem', while the ruling party raised slogans of 'Modi, Modi, Modi'. All opposition MLAs were marshalled out of the Assembly, however, no ruling party MLA was marshalled out or asked to leave despite repeated sloganeering by them," Atishi wrote.

She also criticised the decision to bar suspended MLAs from the Assembly premises, calling it "unprecedented in independent India." Additionally, she claimed that AAP MLAs were allotted only 14 per cent of the speaking time during discussions on the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, while BJP MLAs were given 86 per cent. "The Speaker's role is not to serve the ruling party's interests but to safeguard the integrity of the legislative process," she wrote, demanding "equal treatment for opposition MLAs, fair allocation of speaking time, and an end to blatantly partisan actions." Terming Atishi's allegations as "political", Speaker Vijender Gupta, in his response, said that actions against the AAP MLAs were taken as per Assembly rules. "I am surprised that instead of apologising for you and your party members' disruptive behaviour, you are finding fault with my lawful directions," he said and cited Rule 277 and the definition of "precincts" for regulating access to the Assembly premises.

On the issue of speaking time, Gupta argued that the allocation was done as per parliamentary conventions and was also influenced by AAP MLAs' absence due to suspension. "The opposition members were not present on three days owing to their suspension. However, Amanatullah Khan, who was present, was allowed to participate in the debate. He chose to walk out thereafter and did not participate in further discussions," he said. The heated exchange comes as the BJP, which won 48 out of 70 seats in the February Assembly elections, prepares to present its first budget after returning to power in Delhi after 26 years. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who also holds the finance portfolio, will table the budget on March 25 during the five-day session beginning March 24. Speaker Gupta, on the last day of the session, ruled that suspended or marshalled-out MLAs must vacate the Vidhan Sabha premises, intensifying the political tussle. Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht also made a remark, stating, "The day I sit on the chair, the opposition will be the first to be shown the door."