Gupta, Sirsa ejected from Delhi Assembly

BJP MLA stages walkout over Jan Lokpal Bill

New Delhi: Opposition leaders Vijender Gupta and BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa were on Thursday ejected from the Delhi Assembly while their colleague staged a walkout as he trooped into the well, demanding Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's apology for "misleading" the House over the Jan Lokpal Bill.

Gupta also gave a memorandum to Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, bringing to his notice that the Delhi government was "misleading" the assembly by levelling "false" allegations against the BJP-led Centre during the discussion on full statehood to Delhi. 

While tabling a resolution that seeks to grant full statehood to Delhi in the House, Sisodia on Wednesday said that the Jan Lokpal could have set up within six months of the Bill being passed and it would have been catching corrupt officers by now, but the Bill passed by the Delhi Assembly was "lying with the Centre".
 
The opposition leader claimed that the Jan Lokpal Bill was not lying with the Centre, but with the administrative department of the Delhi government since September 2017. Later, Delhi Law Minister Kailash Gahlot told reporters that the Bill was not pending with him. 

As the House sat again after a 30-minute break, Gupta and two BJP MLAs Sirsa and Jagdish Pradhan trooped into the Well of House, demanding Sisodia's apology over the issue. Later, all the three BJP MLAs trooped into the well, prompting the speaker to adjourn the House proceedings for 15 minutes. 

When the House proceedings resumed, the trio again trooped into the well to press for their demand. As Gupta was adamant to his demand, the speaker directed the marshals to take him out of the House. Later, Sirsa was also ejected, while Pradhan staged a walkout to show protest. 

"During the last nine months, the Delhi government could not move the file even an inch. Now, it is blaming the Centre for delay," Gupta told reporters in the Delhi Assembly. He said that keeping in view that fact, the opposition demanded that the deputy chief minister must apologise before the House for his "misleading statement" blaming the Centre. 

"The opposition also demanded that he (Sisodia) must apologise to the public for giving wrong information in the House casting aspersions on the central government. It sought that the file be placed in the House to establish the truth," stated a statement issued by Gupta. 

In December 2015, the Delhi Assembly had passed the Jan Lokpal Bill which provides for an ombudsman with powers to act against any government functionary. Later, the Centre had sent back the Bill seeking clarification from the AAP government.