AAP likely to raise issue of L-G's 'interference' in Delhi govt's functioning in Assembly

Issue of L-G appointing aldermen to the MCD, without seeking recommendations of city government, is also likely to be raised in the Assembly, sources said

The three-day Delhi Assembly session, scheduled to commence from Monday, is likely to be a stormy one, with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) likely to raise the issue of the lieutenant governor's alleged interference in the functioning of the government and appointment of MCD aldermen.

AAP leaders are likely to raise the issue of L-G V K Saxena allegedly putting pressure on officials to stop the development work being done by the government. The issue of the L-G appointing aldermen to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), without seeking the recommendations of the city government, is also likely to be raised in the Assembly, sources said.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will be laying the copies of the annual report of the Delhi Technological University for the year 2020-2021, the CAG audit report on the annual accounts of the Netaji Subhas University of Technology for the period from 2009-10 to 2017-18, along with an action-taken report, in the House.

Also Read | Several of L-G's decisions illegal in light of 2018 SC order: Arvind Kejriwal

He is also expected to introduce the Delhi Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023, according to the List of Business of the House.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators demanded on Saturday that the speaker extend the Assembly session to 10 days and allow the Question Hour.

At a press conference, the BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, termed the Assembly session starting from January 16 "illegal".

"Instead of calling it the winter session, the AAP government has termed it the fourth part of the third session to avoid holding a fixed number of sittings of the House," Bidhuri said.

The AAP government, led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is working in a "dictatorial and unconstitutional" manner, Bidhuri alleged, while adding that the saffron party MLAs will urge the speaker to hold the session for 10 days.

The legislators want to raise the issues concerning their areas but the government has "taken away" their right to do so, he said.

"The government is running away from answering the questions of the MLAs. That is why it is trying to completely remove the Question Hour from the Assembly session," Bidhuri alleged.

No immediate reaction was available from the city government or the ruling AAP on the BJP's charges.

Bidhuri said the BJP MLAs will raise several important issues, including air pollution, the city government's failure to clean the Yamuna river and the poor public transport system in the national capital, during the Assembly session.