BJP MLA suspended for entire session

BJP legislator O P Sharma was on Thursday suspended from Delhi Assembly by Speaker Ram Niwas Goel for the rest of the winter session for making a derogatory reference to AAP legislator Alka Lamba.

On Tuesday, Sharma had been suspended for two days for using unparliamentary language in the House.

As soon as the Assembly met on Thursday, Aam Aadmi Party’s women MLAs launched into a furious tirade against the Bharatiya Janata Party MLA for making a sexist remark against Lamba.

Lamba, wearing a black armband, led from the front and demanded the suspension of Sharma, one of the three BJP lawmakers in the Assembly.

“A person who doesn’t have respect for women has no right to be in the Delhi Assembly,” said Lamba.

Aam Aadmi Party Mangolpuri legislator Rakhi Birla echoed similar concerns.
“His membership should be cancelled and he should be sent to jail,” Birla said.
Speaker Ram Niwas Goel had to adjourn the Assembly twice but he was not able to restore order in the House.

Privilege motion
Amid the chaos, two BJP MLAs, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta and Jagdish Pradhan, walked out of the House over non-acceptance by the Speaker of a privilege motion.

The BJP MLAs alleged that AAP legislators even tried to hit Sharma the other day.
The three BJP MLAs staged a sit-in on the lawns of the Assembly holding placards saying “Take action against Manish Sisodia” and “Stop stifling the Opposition”.

They blamed AAP lawmakers for trying to stifle the opposition under the leadership of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

In the House, the Deputy CM appealed to his party MLAs to let the proceedings continue.

The AAP’s women legislators, however, refused to go back to their place and circled around the well of the 70-member legislature.

The Speaker then suspended Sharma for the rest of the ongoing winter session and referred the matter to the Ethics Committee of the House.

Unethical conduct
Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra then moved a proposal to refer the matter to the Ethics Committee, which was unanimously agreed by other AAP MLAs.

The committee reviews instances relating to unethical conduct of an MLA in the Assembly. The committee is expected to come up with its report before the next session sits.

The row over the sexist remark started when the Leader of Opposition raised the issue of deplorable condition of night shelters in the city on Tuesday and criticised Lamba for calling homeless people drug addicts.

When Lamba retaliated to Gupta’s comment, things got heated and BJP legsilator O P Sharma lost his cool and made a disrespectful reference to Lamba.