A war of words erupted between the AAP and BJP MLAs over the Petitions Committee Report on Thursday — the second day of the Delhi Assembly session. Speaking in the Delhi Assembly, BJP MLA Vijender Gupta said the committee’s recommendations were like “self-goals” made with an intention to render the administrative system “handicapped”. He demanded that the Petitions Committee be discontinued in the Assembly. On the other hand, the AAP MLAs demanded an inquiry against Gupta by the Privileges Committee over allegedly presenting distorted facts from the Petitions Committee’s report.
Gupta voiced concerns over the committee’s recommendation to initiate privilege proceedings against officials, including the Secretary of the Health Department and the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of the Finance Department. He pointed out the glaring absence of Opposition representation in the committee and highlighted the AAP MLAs’ dominance, naming AAP MLAs Rajesh Gupta, Akhilesh Pati Tripathi, Dilip Kumar Pandey, Jai Bhagwan, Kartar Singh, Tanwar, Kuldeep Kumar, Raj Kumar Dhillon, Somnath Bharti. Gupta vehemently criticised the committee’s overreach, especially in issuing directives to the President of India. “Their audacity is both shocking and amusing,” he remarked.
Gupta was cautioned by Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla to not present distorted facts in front of the Assembly after the AAP leaders, including Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, expressed objections. AAP MLA Rajesh Gupta said that the BJP legislator was reading an old report.