New Delhi, Jan 7 BJP MLAs on Wednesday staged a protest by raising slogans in the Delhi Assembly, staging a protest against AAP leader and Leader of the Opposition Atishi over her alleged use of 'insensitive words' against a Sikh Guru during a recent Assembly session.
Speaking to reporters, Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma said that during the Legislative Assembly session on Tuesday, members were paying respect to the Sikh Gurus. He said a special discussion was held in the House to mark the 354th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, which is observed across the country.
“On one hand, we were paying tribute and showing respect, but on the other hand, Atishi did not participate meaningfully and made a statement that hurt our sentiments. We are deeply pained that an AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister has insulted a Sikh Guru. Today, she is not even present in the Assembly. She has neither apologised nor attended the session,” Verma said.
Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra also criticised Atishi’s conduct, calling it extremely shameful.
“The actions of Opposition Leader Atishi Marlena yesterday were highly disgraceful, and she has still not apologised. I believe she should publicly apologise to the people of Delhi, to the Sikh community, and to this Assembly. Her behaviour warrants an apology,” Mishra said.
BJP MLA Arvinder Singh Lovely said the issue reflected an insensitive and irresponsible attitude toward Guru Sahib and the sentiments of the House.
“Yesterday, when the entire Assembly was paying tribute on the occasion of the Guru’s martyrdom, they were so engrossed in politics that they did not hesitate to use words that amounted to disrespect towards the Gurus. We strongly condemn this,” he said.
Another BJP MLA, Tarvinder Singh Marwah, said the discussion on Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji should have concluded peacefully on Tuesday itself.
“The matter should have ended there. Atishi then remarked that the House was discussing unimportant issues while not addressing pollution. However, the Speaker had already clarified that a discussion on pollution would take place today,” he said.
Responding to the allegations, AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan rejected the BJP’s claims and accused them of misrepresenting facts.
“They are lying and twisting the issue in a distorted manner. Nothing like that happened. They themselves are saying everything is on record. If it is on record, then bring it and play it. All Assembly proceedings are recorded. Let it be played, and the truth will come out,” Khan said.
The controversy arose during a discussion on a Delhi government programme held last November to mark the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru. During the debate, Opposition AAP MLAs raised the issue of air pollution, leading to disruptions in the House.
Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that even unintentional disrespect during such a sacred discussion amounted to a serious offence. He added that the government had already scheduled a full-day discussion on pollution for the following day, and therefore, the issue should not have been raised during the tribute session.
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