AAP, BJP clash in Delhi Assembly over Chandigarh stalking case

The Delhi Assembly had a noisy start to the monsoon session today with the ruling AAP targeting the BJP over the Chandigarh stalking case while the opposition BJP raised the issue of death of sanitation workers in the national capital.

As the House met, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel mentioned the Chandigarh stalking case in which the Haryana BJP president's son is allegedly involved.

Leader of the opposition Vijender Gupta objected to it and demanded a discussion on the recent death of four workers who were cleaning a sewer line in Lajpat Nagar in south-east Delhi.

Gupta was joined by his two party colleagues. Goel asked them to sit down and also charged Gupta with "disrespecting" the women of the country "by opposing condemnation" of the stalking incident.

As Gupta and the other three BJP MLAs came in the Well of the House, the ruling AAP legislators followed suit and shouted slogans.

They were wearing badges in support of the woman who resisted her alleged stalkers in Chandigarh. The 29-year-old woman was chased through the streets of Chandigarh on her way home late on Friday night, allegedly by the BJP leader's son and one more person.

In the continuing din, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tried to reply to Gupta over the death of workers but he could not continue as the House was adjourned for 15 minutes.

When the House met again, Sisodia said that there is a standing instruction that sewage should be cleaned mechanically, but the contractor allowed manual cleaning of the sewers.

"The government has announced Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of sanitation workers who had died while cleaning sewer. The investigation is going in this case. If anyone is found guilty, strict action will be taken," Sisodia said.

AAP and BJP MLAs continued to indulge in shouting slogans against each other over stalking case and death of sanitation workers.

The House was adjourned again for half an hour as the legislators stayed in the well despite the Speaker asking them to go back to their seats.