Delhi Assembly Speaker criticises L-G, throws out BJP MLA from the House

New Delhi: A BJP MLA was thrown out of Delhi Assembly after he and two others MLAs protested against Speaker Ram Niwas Goel's criticism of Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and an alleged statement by Aam Aadmi Party MLA Alka Lamba.

The Speaker called in marshals to throw out BJP MLA Om Prakash Sharma who slammed the Speaker and alleged that he was not impartial. Sharma had also alleged that Alka Lamba had accused Jung of bribing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a charge which the AAP MLA strongly denied.

Chaos broke out in the Assembly when the Speaker said that he was breaking convention to criticize L-G's silence when Delhi Police challenged the powers of the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB).

After being thrown out of the Assembly, Sharma said that AAP should go to court if they feel that the Home Ministry's notification backing Jung is wrong. "It is wrong to use foul language against the Lt Governor. I opposed this and I was thrown out. Speaker is biased and he is behaving like a member and not a Speaker," he said.

BJP leader Nupur Sharma, too, criticised the AAP government. She said, "The AAP government is behaving like dictators. This is a dangerous time for the democracy."

The national capital is witnessing a power tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party government and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung over the appointment, transfer and postings of bureaucrats. It intensified after the Union Home Ministry issued a notification backing the L-G in the tussle with the AAP government.

After the notification was issued by the Centre, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had reacted strongly to the notification, saying that the NDA Government at the Centre was trying to run the national capital through the 'backdoor'. On the other hand, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had also criticised the notification, terming it as an attempt to "save the transfer-posting industry being run in Delhi".

The appointment of senior bureaucrat Shakuntala Gamlin as acting Chief Secretary by L-G had triggered a full-blown war between the ruling AAP and the Lt Governor, with Kejriwal questioning the latter's authority and accusing him of trying to take over the administration.