AAP MLAs announced their decision to take the matter to the President Droupadi Murmu
Chaos unfolded outside the Delhi Assembly today after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Leader of Opposition (LoP) Atishi's car was stopped near its premises. The former Delhi chief minister has called the incident deliberate targeting of opposition leaders.
On Tuesday, 21 AAP MLAs, including Atishi, were suspended for disrupting Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena's inaugural address by raising slogans against the alleged removal of portraits of BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh from Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's office in the assembly.
"BJP has an issue with BR Ambedkar's photo and his name. When we raised the 'Jai Bheem' slogans inside the House, we were marshalled out, but when they raised 'Modi, Modi' slogans, they were not marshalled out. Does this mean that the BJP think that PM Modi is bigger than BR Ambedkar?" Atishi asked.
In a strongly worded letter to Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta, Atishi called the suspension of 21 AAP MLAs an "injustice to the opposition" and urged the Speaker to uphold democratic values.
"I am writing this letter with great pain and sorrow. The biggest strength of democracy is its fairness and equality. But whatever happened in the Delhi Assembly in the past few days is not only an injustice to the opposition MLAs but also a severe blow to democratic values," Atishi's letter read.
Atishi further alleged that disciplinary actions were selectively imposed, targeting opposition legislators while sparing those from the ruling party.
"On 25 February 2025, during the address of the Lieutenant Governor, MLAs of the ruling party raised slogans of 'Modi-Modi,' while the opposition MLAs raised slogans of 'Jai Bheem,' respecting the views of Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. It is very unfortunate that no action was taken against any MLA of the ruling party, but 21 MLAs of the opposition were suspended from the House for three days for raising the slogan 'Jai Bheem,'" she wrote.
The controversy deepened when the suspended AAP MLAs attempted to stage a protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue within the Assembly premises.
"The injustice did not stop here. Yesterday, when the suspended MLAs were going to protest peacefully in front of the statue of Gandhiji present in the Assembly premises, they were stopped 200 meters before the gate of the Assembly and were prevented from entering the premises," she said.
She called the restriction an "insult" to both the MLAs and the public mandate they represent.
Following the escalating political standoff, AAP MLAs announced their decision to take the matter to the President Droupadi Murmu. The party leadership sees the suspensions and restrictions as an attempt to suppress opposition voices within the Assembly.
"You are the guardian of this Assembly. It is the duty of the guardian to do equal justice to all the MLAs, whether they are from the ruling party or the opposition. I urge you to protect the democratic values and ensure that no MLA is deprived of his constitutional rights," Atishi wrote in her letter to the Speaker.
Mr Gupta wrote back to Atishi, urging her to make her colleagues engage in "constructive" dialogue inside the Assembly.
"I would urge you, as the Leader of Opposition, to take the responsibility of guiding your colleagues toward constructive participation in legislative proceedings rather than resorting to disruptive tactics that impede the functioning of the House. The people of Delhi deserve a legislature that addresses their concerns through dignified debate and deliberation," the letter read.
