A total of 21 AAP MLAs, including Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Atishi, were suspended from the House on Tuesday for a period of three days for disrupting Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena’s inaugural address.

According to Speaker Vijender Gupta, the AAP legislators behaved in an unconstitutional manner when the LG was addressing the House even as their irresponsible actions were witnessed by all. They will remain suspended from February 25 to 28, the Speaker had said. During the period they won’t be allowed to participate in the proceedings of the House.

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Such behaviour from the members cannot be justified in view of the dignity of the House and that of the LG, an important constitutional authority who had come to the House to fulfill his responsibility.

What the AAP MLAs did is condemnable, Gupta said, drawing the attention to the crucial day on which they resorted to do it.

The proposal for the suspension of the AAP legislators was moved by Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Verma with a proposal for a strict action over their conduct during LG’s address. His proposal was supported by Abhay Kumar Verma, who said as per the rule book, such disruptions during LG’s address would be taken as disrespect towards him. “What they did is also contempt of the House,” he added.

The AAP has 22 MLAs in the assembly. While 21 of them have been suspended, Amanatullah was absent.

On Tuesday, as the House proceedings began, the AAP MLAs, along with LoP Atishi protested against the alleged removal of B R Ambedkar’s portrait from the chief minister’s office. They accused the BJP government of disrespecting Ambedkar and raised slogans.