Delhi Assembly proceedings were adjourned till Thursday following sloganeering by AAP MLAs who demanded a CBI probe into the alleged ‘Operation Lotus’ by the BJP.
The AAP members also supported the BJP's demand for a probe into the allegations of poaching of MLAs. The special session was disrupted for the third day on Wednesday as the ruling AAP and Opposition BJP MLAs forced adjournments.
SAs soon as the House assembled for a discussion on the confidence motion on Wednesday, BJP MLA Vijender Gupta asked Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla to take up his calling attention motion, even as AAP MLA Atishi tried to raise the issue of ‘Operation Lotus’ of the BJP. Members of both sides shouted slogans, prompting Birla to adjourn the House till 11.30 A.M.
The AAP MLAs also torched an effigy of ‘Operation Lotus’ at the Assembly premises, even as the BJP called it an 'unconstitutional incident' against which legal action should be taken.
Gupta's calling attention motion concerned alleged corruption in the construction of classrooms in Delhi Government schools.
When the House reconvened, Gupta asked Birla under which rule she allowed Atishi to make a statement on issues other than the no-confidence motion. He kept on questioning Birla while his party MLAs also supported him.
Birla said the Opposition members had not allowed the House to function in the last few days, and marshalled out Gupta following which his fellow MLAs walked out in protest. Atishi alleged that the BJP is an "anti-women party as its members do not allow a woman to speak while another woman is in the chair".
Her allegations were also supported by her party members who also started raising slogans against the saffron party, calling it a "Bachcha Chor Party", apparently referring to the recent arrest of a BJP corporator in a child kidnapping case.
She alleged that the BJP tried to de-establish the Delhi Government through its ‘Operation Lotus’ which involves three steps -- using central agencies (ED, CBI, Income Tax Department), scaring ruling party MLAs and luring them".
"The BJP has bought 277 MLAs for Rs 6,300 crore under the 'Operation Lotus'. They collected this money by increasing fuel prices," she alleged.
AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak said, "The BJP has said a probe should be carried out into the AAP MLA's poaching charges. We welcome and support BJP MPs demand for this probe."
Party MLA Kuldeep Kumar alleged that when he refused the BJP's offer of Rs 20 crore, "they threatened to frame me and send behind the bars in a fake case".
Gupta, who was marshalled out, said the Government is "hell-bent on evading people's questions" about the way they "looted public money". "In the three days since the special Assembly session was called, the Government did not allow 'Question Hour', 'Short Duration Discussion' or any other Opposition question to be raised in the Assembly," he claimed.