Speaker Vijender Gupta stated on Friday that the suspension of 21 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs from the Delhi Assembly was justified under parliamentary rules, responding to opposition leader Atishi's claim that it represented an "injustice to opposition" and violated democratic values.
Gupta emphasized that the suspended MLAs are barred from the assembly premises, citing Rule 277, point 3(d), which states that suspended members cannot enter the House or participate in proceedings.
He noted that the AAP MLAs disrupted Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena’s inaugural address, violating the Code of Conduct. He pointed out a similar disruption on February 25, 2005, where opposition disruptions led to a failure to complete the address, qualifying as "undisciplined conduct" under the established rules.
Following protocol, a resolution was passed to suspend the 21 disruptive MLAs for three days, a decision aligned with parliamentary procedures, according to Gupta.
Earlier, Atishi urged the Speaker to uphold democratic values in her letter, expressing concern over the fairness of recent events in the assembly. She criticized the lack of action against ruling party MLAs, referencing an incident during the Lieutenant Governor's address where ruling MLAs shouted "Modi-Modi," while opposition members chanted "Jai Bhim" in homage to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. She lamented that no disciplinary measures were taken against the ruling party members while opposition members faced suspension.