Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel on Wednesday marshaled out four BJP MLAs who were protesting in the House over the issue of “heavy” pollution in the Yamuna River. The BJP MLAs demanded a debate over the issue of pollution but the Speaker refused their request, saying he will not allow any debate under any rule.
The MLAs also submitted samples of Yamuna water in two bottles to the Speaker following which the latter threatened to “terminate the membership of BJP MLAs if the water was found contaminated with acid.”
“The LG has paralysed the House and BJP MLAs should be ashamed of it. BJP MLAs should go to L-G and ask him not to gag the House,” Goel told BJP MLAs.
While BJP MLAs Ajay Mahawar, Anil Bajpai, Mohan Singh Bisht and OP Sharma were ordered to be marshalled out by Goel, the rest of the BJP MLAs decided to boycott the proceedings of the House in protest.
Earlier, BJP MLAs held a protest outside the Delhi Assembly over the issue of pollution in Yamuna River. They were carrying bottles filled with heavily polluted Yamuna water.
Following the expulsion, the BJP MLAs held a protest outside the Delhi Assembly.
Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said supply of dirty water from Yamuna was harming the health of the people.
“It is causing cancer and damaging the kidney and liver as well as leading to other ailments. The Modi Government has provided the AAP Government Rs 2,500 crore for cleaning the Yamuna,” he said.
Citing data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the L-G office had said on Monday that pollution in the Yamuna river has doubled in the last eight years of the Arvind Kejriwal Government.
Bidhuri further said, “We want to ask Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal where did this money go because a report of his own Government has said that Yamuna has been polluted 200 per cent more in the eight years of AAP rule.”
He said the issue will be raised in the Assembly and if it is not debated upon, they will stage further protests over the issue.
“A notice has been given for a debate over the issue. If the Government runs away from debate, we will stage a dharna,” he said.