The special assembly session in Delhi commenced on Monday. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tabled a confidence motion, saying it was meant to prove that ‘Operation Lotus’ could have been successful in other states but failed here as all AAP MLAs were “hardcore honest”.
Alleging that the BJP has attempted to poach AAP MLAs, Kejriwal said that “taxes have been imposed even in garbha dance”. Resources that are earned by raising taxes on petrol and diesel go as expenses towards ‘Operation Lotus’, he added.
“We have heard that they have offered 50 crores per MLA. In Delhi, they have offered 20 crores,” the AAP CM said. “When the government of Jharkhand falls, you just watch out — petrol and diesel rates will go up again in 15 days.”
“If there is any government that is most corrupt post-independence, it is the current central government,” he said addressing the House.
“They did ‘nautanki’ on kickbacks on liquor, they did not find anything in raids. Now, they have orders from top, that there will be no talk on liquor so they have started talking about schools,” he added.
“This confidence motion is needed to show that our MLAs are honest. I challenge them to break even one MLA from AAP,” he said.
AAP MLA Duregesh Pathak further alleged in the Assembly that LG V K Saxena had pressurised his employees to exchange demonetised notes worth Rs 1400 crore in 2016 when he was KVIC chairman. “When he was KVIC chairman, demonetisation happened and a cashier working there has given in writing that he was forced to carry out exchange of notes. It is unfortunate that he was suspended. Those who levelled all dismissed. But we want a probe in this. There is a news report also and there are statements by the affected employees,” Pathak said.
Raising slogans against the LG and carrying placards, AAP MLAs came into the well of the House prompting Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla to suspend assembly proceedings for 15 minutes. They were demanding Saxena’s removal from the post of Delhi Lieutenant Governor.
At the beginning of the session, the House speaker disallowed a calling attention notice served by BJP leaders, leading to protests by several BJP MLAs. Following this, Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla suspended all BJP MLAs for the entire day once again. They were subsequently marshalled out. BJP MLA Vijender Gupta was carried out by a marshal.
Meanwhile, at a press conference following this, the BJP alleged a scam in the Delhi education department, saying the city government increased the budget for the construction of classrooms in its existing schools, ignoring the Central Public Works Department’s guidelines.
“Corruption is in the DNA of Arvind Kejriwal. It’s not AAP sarkar but PAAP ki sarkar (government of sins). He and (Manish) Sisodia are experts in corruption… Where did this money go? Did it go in your pocket, Arvind Kejriwal ji? Did you take note of the report? What action did you take on it?” BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said.
“The AAP government promised to construct 500 new schools in Delhi. That never happened. They then said they will build more classrooms in the existing schools. The number of rooms was increased from 2,400 to 7,180. The construction cost was increased by up to 90 per cent,” he alleged.
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had proposed a trust vote on Friday after alleging that the opposition party’s ‘Operation Lotus’ to topple his government failed as it could not poach any of the AAP MLAs.
“It is being said they (BJP) broke away a number of MLAs. I received phone calls, people asked me if everything is alright. I’d like to bring a confidence motion in House to show people that not even one went away, that the BJP’s Operation Lotus became ‘Operation Keechad’ here,” Kejriwal said in his speech in the House on Friday.
The AAP chief had alleged that the BJP had targeted 40 AAP MLAs and offered Rs 20 crore to each of them to switch sides.
The BJP dismissed his claims, saying that the party was trying to deflect attention from the ongoing CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the AAP government’s excise policy. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the excise portfolio and is an accused in the FIR registered by the CBI, had also claimed that he was offered the chief minister’s post by the BJP for switching sides.
PDT Achary, former secretary general of Lok Sabha said on Friday that normally a ‘no confidence’ motion is tabled in the House by the opposition when the ruling party is deemed to have lost majority. But the ruling party can also bring in a confidence motion in the House, he said. “The government can bring a confidence motion in House anytime. Normally, a no confidence motion is brought when the ruling party’s majority in the House is doubtful. Since the AAP has 62 out of the total 70 members in the House, it will easily establish its majority,” he told Hindustan Times.
The special assembly session on Friday was extended by a day after Kejriwal announced the confidence motion. “Taking the sense of the House, it was decided to extend the sitting of the House and take up the motion on Monday, 29th August 2022,” a bulletin of business issued by the Vidhan Sabha stated.
Leader of the opposition in Delhi assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said that the BJP MLAs will seek Sisodia’s resignation over the “excise scam.” “We will question the silence of the government on the excise scam worth thousands of crores. CM Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leaders have been making baseless claims that the BJP is trying to topple their government. It is just a diversionary tactic to take the attention away from the excise scam,” Bidhuri told HT.
AAP has 62 MLAs in the 70-member Delhi assembly. The BJP has eight and needs 28 more for a majority.
(With PTI inputs)
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