AAP, BJP councillors come to blows

New Delhi: The first meeting of the MCD House witnessed newly-elected AAP and BJP councillors exchanging blows, hurling chairs, climbing atop tables and indulging in continuous sloganeering to overpower the other side.

The meeting was called to elect the mayor, deputy mayor and the members of standing committees. The election was supposed to be followed by the oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected councillors. However, due to the ruckus, BJP Councillor Satya Sharma, the presiding officer, who was overseeing the proceeding, had to adjourn the House for the day. The Friday proceeding began around 11.30 am with Sharma taking oath administered by Santosh Kumar Rai, District Magistrate, New Delhi.

As Sharma called Alderman Manoj for oath-taking, the House descended into chaos as the AAP councillors entered the well opposing the officer's decision. Only four Aldermans, nominated by Lieutenant General Vinai Kumar Saxena, were able to take their oaths. The AAP members protested against the administration of oaths to the alderman instead of the elected representatives first. AAP councillors shouted slogans and tried to disrupt the proceedings.

They also raised slogans like, "BJP ki gundagardi nahi chalegi". This prompted BJP councillors to enter the well which further escalated the scuffle. The Kejriwal-led party members got into heated arguments with their BJP counterparts, who retaliated by raising slogans against the AAP and its national convener. Amid the chaos, both sides alleged manhandling by the other camp and both sides tried to outdo each other by raising slogans at the top of their lungs. As the crowd around the Speaker's desk surged, the presiding officer adjourned the House for an hour. However, the councillors continued the scuffle by pushing and shoving each other. Climbing atop tables, the councillors also threw papers in the air. A couple of times, they also hit each other which led to an escalation. The presiding officer tried to resume the House after an hour-long hiatus.