Delhi Assembly Speaker Suspends 21 AAP MLAs Amid Ruckus Over CAG Report And Ambedkar Portrait

Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta on Tuesday suspended 21 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs for the next two days following massive uproar in the Assembly over the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the excise policy and the alleged removal of BR Ambedkar’s portrait from the chief minister’s office.

The suspension of the lawmakers took place in two phases, with 12 MLAs being removed earlier in the day, followed by the remaining later. The protest erupted during Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena’s address as the AAP members raised slogans, disrupting the proceedings.

Among those suspended is Leader of Opposition Atishi, who accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of dishonoring BR Ambedkar by removing his portrait from the chief minister’s office. Other suspended MLAs include Gopal Rai, Veer Singh Dhingan, Mukesh Ahlawat, Chaudhary Zubair Ahmed, Anil Jha, Vishesh Ravi, and Jarnail Singh.

Following their suspension, the AAP legislators staged a demonstration within the Assembly premises, holding Ambedkar’s portraits and chanting slogans such as “Babasaheb ka ye apmaan nahi sahega Hindustan (India will not tolerate this insult to Babasaheb)” and “Jai Bhim.”

Meanwhile, the BJP-led Delhi government, under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, tabled the much-anticipated CAG report on the Delhi Excise Policy during the session. The report, titled ‘Performance Audit on Regulation and Supply of Liquor in Delhi,’ covers the period from 2017-18 to 2020-21, examining the management and distribution of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and foreign liquor in the capital.

As the findings were presented, BJP leaders launched an attack on the AAP, alleging that the party was attempting to derail the Assembly proceedings to evade accountability. They accused the AAP government of corruption in the implementation of the excise policy and claimed that the party was trying to divert attention from the damning revelations in the CAG report.

With tensions escalating between the ruling and opposition parties, the political landscape in Delhi continues to witness heated debates and confrontations, setting the stage for further clashes in the coming days.