File photo of Delhi assembly
A demand for a formal tribute to Ashok Singhal, the Vishva Hindu Parishad who died yesterday, fueled a shouting match in the Delhi assembly on the first day of the winter session today.
The three BJP lawmakers, who are hopelessly outnumbered in the 70-member assembly, accused the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of not acknowledging the VHP leader who was at the forefront of the campaign for a Hindu temple at the site of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
The row erupted after the house paid homage to the victims of the Paris attack on Friday in which 129 were killed.
"Ashok Singhal was a 'Raj Purush' (statesman), said BJP's Vijender Gupta, demanding a condolence motion. AAP lawmakers included Somnath Bharti and Amantullah Khan loudly objected to the demand, saying that the VHP leader had "played a divisive role".
Speaker Ram Niwas Goel rejected the motion, pointing out that Ashok Singhal did not hold any constitutional post.
Later, AAP members insisted that Ashok Singhal's name be removed from the records.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was not present in the assembly when the winter session began in the afternoon.
Ashok Singhal, 89, died in a Gurgaon hospital after illness. The VHP is an affiliate of the BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which heads the group of organisations collectively described as the "Sangh Parivar".