Pressing Need To Restore Dignity Of Delhi Assembly

Democracy blossoms if the legislative wing is firm on its footing; democracy flounders if the legislative wing totters.

- SIDHARTH MISHRA Author and president, Centre for Reforms, Development & Justice

During the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the address made by the Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, Delhi Minister Ashish Sood had an interesting fact to share. He pointed out that during the past five years of the rule of the Aam Aadmi Party in the national capital, Delhi Assembly remained, if not non-functional, it was dysfunctional.

Sood was referring to data released by a research agency which mentioned that in the past five years, just 74 sittings of the Delhi Assembly took place. In these sittings, deliberations were made for just 215 hours, which is just above 11 minutes per day in the past five years. More interestingly, just 180 questions were allowed during these five years, and of which only 55 were answered on the floor of the House.