The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Assembly adjourned until Monday amid protests by AAP, BJP leaders
THE DELHI Legislative Assembly on Wednesday witnessed high drama with both the AAP and BJP leaders protesting on its premises. While AAP leaders protested against the arrest and remand of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the nowscrapped excise policy case, the BJP asked the AAP’S national convener to resign.
In a dramatic move, AAP MLAS including senior party leaders Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Rajendra Pal Gautam, Rohit Mehrolia, and Sanjeev Jha among others — wearing yellow T-shirts with “Main Bhi Kejriwal” message and masks of Kejriwal — started protesting inside the House demanding the CM’S release at the earliest. Following this, the House was adjourned for around 15 minutes.
The first House session on Wednesday, called after the CM’S arrest, to discuss health-related matters was, however, adjourned within less than an hour. Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar was asked to share the status on the availability of free medicines and tests at government hospitals and mohalla clinics as well as come up with a plan to fix the shortage, if any, with Bharadwaj also raising the issue in the House.
As the session resumed, AAP and BJP leaders stepped into the House’s well and raised slogans against the BJP and the PM, and the CM, respectively. As the protesters did not adhere to Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, he adjourned the session till 11 am on Monday.
The AAP leaders then burned an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi outside the Vidhan Sabha gate. “We are pro testing against the illegal arrest of our CM... His arrest is not only an attack on AAP, but on the Constitution as well... If you arrest Opposition leaders after the implementation of Model Code of Conduct, seal their party office(s) and freeze their bank accounts, how will they contest the elections? If the Opposition cannot fight the polls, then how come our democracy is safe?” asked Atishi, adding that the BJP has been usingtheed as a“political weapon ”.
Bharadwaj said: “We have launched a campaign — Main bhi Kejriwal. You can arrest one Kerjiwal, but there is one Kejriwal in every family of Delhi. People have also realised the dictatorship system... and they are joining us [AAP] gradually.”
Dilip Pandey, who also took part in the protest, said :“the people of Delhi are standing with Kejriwal. BJP thought that it will bring AAP down by arresting its chief. it is mistaken ... more people are joining because Kerjiwal does what he says ... he keeps his promises, and will fulfill them all and take care of the people from jail.”
Meanwhile, scores of workers from the BJP and its yuva morcha, along with its state unit chief Virendra Sachdeva, gathered near the Vidhan Sabha gate and raised slogans such as “corrupt Kejriwal resign, resign” and “AAP haye haye”. They climbed the entrance of the Assembly gate, following which, police detained them — including Sachdeva — and took them to the Timarpur police station. They were later released.
Calling their protest a guerilla demonstration, Sachdeva said: “The people of Delhi are frustrated... soon, aap ministers at is hi and sa ur abh, who are issuing fake letters, may also land in jail.”