Over an alleged offensive comment made recently against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in context of the issues surrounding the film 'The Kashmir Files', several members of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) faced off during the proceedings at the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) House on Wednesday.

Many councillors of both the parties "manhandled" each other, accusing each other of "violating" the code of conduct and the sanctity of the House.

Proceedings of the House began by condoling the death of nonagenarian Ishwari Das Mahajan, a veteran politician and a former chairman of the Standing Committee in the 1970s when there was a unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).  Now, there are three corporations for the South, North and East Delhi. 

According to Beer Singh Panwar, the EDMC Standing Committee Chairman, no sooner had the tribute been paid to Mahajan, members of the AAP started raising their voice and misbehaving with BJP members, including the Leader of the House, Satyapal Singh, and other party councilors. The AAP councillors were alleging that Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta had recently said something wrong about Kejriwal in the context of the issues surrounding the film 'The Kashmir Files' and the Kashmiri Pandit community, he claimed. But Gupta was "only citing what others had said about him (Kejriwal) and those were not his words", Panwar said.

As AAP members resorted to manhandling, "our councillors also responded in defence," he said. AAP councillor and Leader of Opposition Manoj Kumar Tyagi alleged that BJP members resorted to use of "physical force" and "used unparliamentary language" and "manhandled many AAP members, including women."

"They (BJP) are saying that Adesh did not comment, rather he was quoting other people. Is this how a Delhi BJP chief should behave, and if he is quoting someone, can he tell who said it, or will he make such baseless claims," he said.

Tyagi said alleged offensive comment was made against Chief Minister on stand taken by him on the controversial film 'The Kashmir File' which talks about the struggles of the Kashmiri Pandit community.

The BJP and the AAP have been engaged in a word of wars over this movie, with Kejriwal recently attacking the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Delhi Assembly over the issue.

The commotion in the EDMC House lasted for around an hour after which about three to four councillors were "marshalled out", including Tyagi, Panwar said.

Panwar said a private member resolution was passed during the House proceedings on Wednesday, seeking "an apology from CM Arvind Kejriwal" for his "disrespectful" comments against the Kashmiri Pandit community.  

Tyagi charged that the "ruling BJP (at the Centre) has become undemocratic and dictatorial", and it is "already scared of losing the civic polls" in Delhi so they "got it (the elections) delayed".