Former Delhi chief minister and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly Atishi wrote to Speaker Vijender Gupta on Friday that the suspension of AAP MLAs was an ‘injustice to the Opposition’ and a blow to democratic values.
Photo: IANS
Former Delhi chief minister and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly Atishi wrote to Speaker Vijender Gupta on Friday that the suspension of AAP MLAs was an ‘injustice to the Opposition’ and a blow to democratic values.
Drawing the attention of the speaker to the discrimination meted out to the Opposition, Atishi wrote in her letter, “On Tuesday, the slogans of ’Modi… Modi…’ were raised by the ruling party legislators and that of ‘Jai Bhim’ by Opposition MLAs. It is very unfortunate that no action was taken against a single ruling party MLA, but 21 of the 22 Opposition legislators were suspended for three days.”
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She also recounted how the suspended legislators were stopped from protesting near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Assembly premises. It is not only an insult to the elected representatives but also to those people who gave a mandate to the Opposition, she said.
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Addressing Vijender Gupta directly, she wrote, “You too have been the LoP in the Assembly for several years. You were suspended from the session on occasions but were not stopped from protesting near the statue of the Mahatma Gandhi. You were allowed to enter the Assembly premises because it was your democratic right, but today, the Opposition is being denied its rights.”
“Nowhere in the rulebook it is written that the expelled MLAs cannot enter the assembly premises or pay homage to national icons like Gandhi and Ambedkar. Such an act is not only an insult to the Opposition but also to the entire democratic framework of the country,” she added.
The AAP leader concluded her letter with an appeal to the speaker to ensure fairness in his dealings and protect the constitutional rights of all MLAs, irrespective of party affiliations. She warned that if the Opposition’s voice continued to be suppressed inside and outside the House, at stake would be the very foundation of democracy.
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