BJP legislators thrown out

Chief minister terms bandh total failure

Demanding adjournment of the House in the wake of BJP’s nationwide bandh, its members in Delhi Assembly on Thursday created a ruckus prompting the Speaker to suspend them for three days.

The suspension will keep them out of the House even during the voting on Delhi Budget on Monday.

Leader of Opposition V K Malhotra sought Speaker Yoganand Shastri’s attention as soon as the proceedings began in afternoon and demanded that House be adjourned for the day since a bandh was being observed in the city.

When the Speaker refused, 20 odd BJP legislators present in the House indulged in anti-government slogans and demanded rolling back of petrol price hike.

They put on robes with anti-government slogans printed on them and got into the well of the House.

The Speaker adjourned the House twice for twenty minutes each and when the order did not prevail even the third time he called in the bouncers to take them out.

Transport Minister Arvinder Singh proposed a resolution demanding the suspension of BJP members for three days.

The BJP members were barred from the proceedings of the House for three days.

“This is unfair and undemocratic,” shouted the members when they were being taken out.

Later speaking to media, former Delhi health minister and senior BJP leader Dr Harshvardhan criticised  transport minister’s move.

 “The power has got into their head. This is how cunning the Congressmen are. The speaker had called in the bouncers and he was naming us to be taken out. Now, where was the need for Arvinder Singh to move the resolution demanding our suspension,” said Harshvardhan.

So far, only one of our member has participated in the budget discussion and now, they have blocked our way completely,” added Dr Harshvardhan.

Congress legislators came down heavily against BJP bandh that caused inconvenience to people.

While some congressmen called the bandh ineffective, others said “lakhs of people suffered due to the ruckus” created by BJP workers on the city roads. Speaking in the House, Dikshit called the bandh a total failure.

“I have been reading about bandh since past several days. BJP is claiming it a historic, unprecedented and what not. However, I do not see its effect anywhere,” said Dikshit.

The bandh has completely failed and people have rejected BJP's demand completely,” added Dikshit.

She spoke to police officials and barring one or two places, nothing much happened, said Dikshit.

Gupta calls hartal a historic success

Delhi BJP on Thursday claimed that the ‘mahabandh’ called by the party to protest against price spiral, hike in the price of Petrol and CNG was a historic success across the city, reports DHNS from New Delhi. The party claimed support of hundreds of different traders organisations, retailers, ‘rehri-Patri walas, auto and taxi organisations while thousands of people remained indoors in support of the bandh.

“The bandh was a total success. Even the tea shop owners kept their shops closed so that the deaf and dumb, paralysed Congress government may know the acrimony of the people. Many angry party workers also stopped Rail and Metro Rail,” said Delhi BJP President Vijender Gupta, who was arrested by the police while protesting with hundreds of workers. After being released from custody, Gupta visited Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, Connaught Place, Khan Market and other places and participated in the Chakka Jam and Bandh programmes with workers while taking stock of the bandh programmes in various parts of Delhi. 

He also thanked everyone for the unprecedented support to the bandh. “If Congress Government does not roll back the increase in petrol prices and CNG, then the people will roll back the Government,” said Gupta. As per information, more than 50, 000 BJP workers participated in the bandh and blocked traffic in various parts of the city. Several Delhi party leaders including Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Vijay Goel,  Om Prakash Kohli, Aarti Mehra, Vani Tripathi and Jagdish Mukhi blocked traffic at various places in Delhi and courted arrest.