Ahead of the Budget Session, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Delhi Assembly Atishi wrote to Speaker Vijender Gupta on Wednesday drawing his attention to the fact that only 14 per cent of time was allotted to Opposition MLAs and demanding a fair treatment from him.
Terming this unfair for the Opposition, she alleged that the AAP MLAs were systematically silenced during the session as BJP MLAs enjoyed 86 per cent of speaking time while only 14 per cent was allotted to legislators from her party.
“In a parliamentary democracy, the Speaker serves as an impartial custodian of legislative debate, upholding the rules, maintaining decorum, and ensuring that every voice is heard. By safeguarding minority rights while overseeing the majority’s agenda, the Speaker must foster an atmosphere of fair debate and responsible governance,” she wrote in the letter.
“However, as demonstrated during the four-day legislative session under your leadership and the new government, these fundamental responsibilities were cast aside in favour of arbitrary and blatantly partisan actions,” she lamented.
“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”.