All hail break loose in first monsoon session

House adjourned as BJP stirs CWG corruption issue

First day of Delhi Assembly’s monsoon session began on a stormy note with treasury and opposition benches  indulging in slogan shouting and causing commotion which lead to the adjournment of House twice, before the BJP staged a walkout.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s demand to hold a discussion in the House on a Delhi court’s opinion stating complaint against chief minister Sheila Dikshit in the Commonwealth Games corruption case was “maintainable” became the bone of contention between the Congress and the opposition.

Congress members rose up in protest when the leader of opposition V K Malhotra demanded that Question Hour be suspended and chief minister should comment in its place.

Congress members said the matter was not scheduled in the House proceedings.
Both sides started shouting slogans, forcing Speaker Yoganand Shastri to adjourn the House for 30 minutes.

However, similar scenes were witnessed when the House met again. Speaker told the opposition that the matter was sub judice, thus there was no need for anyone to comment on it.

He stressed on proceeding with the House’s scheduled agenda.

“If the matter is sub judice does that mean we allow the chief minister to keep looting public,” said BJP MLA Ramesh Bidhuri.

Senior BJP leader and former health minister Dr Harshvardhan raised placards in the House implying Dikshit was corrupt.

The ruling party MLAs vehemently opposed this. Failing to establish peace and decorum, Shastri adjourned the House again for 15 minutes.

The situation was no different and better afterwards. While the BJP did not budge from its demand to hold discussion and sought Dikshit’s resignation, the Speaker categorically refused to pay heed to it, following which the opposition members staged a walkout.

The chief minister described BJP’s behaviour as anti-democratic and uncalled for, adding that they were following their senior leaders who had brought the Parliament to a standstill.

“BJP is behaving against all established rules of the House. The continuous shouting, chanting of slogans and displaying placards affects dignity of the House,” said Dikshit.

“They are in a habit of creating ruckus and not at all interested in smooth conduct of business in the House. It looks, they are following their senior leaders in the Lok Sabha where logjam continues due to adamant attitude of their party,” she added.

She also said the saffron party had no faith in democratic principles.

Defending their decision to walk out, Malhotra said his party had no other option to lodge their protest since the Congress does not listen to anyone.

“The court order said complaint against chief minister is maintainable implies that there is ground for investigation against her in the CWG corruption case,” said Malhotra.

“An independent investigation can only take place when she resigns and is not in the position to influence anybody,” said Malhotra.

The House also condoled the death of Bollywood actor Rajesh Khanna who represented Parliamentary constituency from Delhi. Members called him a great human being and a superb actor.