AAP MLAs suspended as govt tables excise report

The tabling of a contentious Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy and protests by the Opposition rocked the Delhi assembly on Tuesday, leading to the suspension of 21 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) law-makers and setting the tone for a stormy session ahead.

- Alok KN Mishra

As the assembly convened for its first full day of work under the new Bharatiya Janata Party government at llam, lieutenant governor VK Saxena rose to speak as part of his customary address to the new House. But as soon as he stood up, legislators from the AAP started protesting, raising slogans against the BJP government and alleging that the new administration had removed portraits of BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh even as the BJP refuted the allegations.

After at least 10 minutes of pandemonium, newly elected speaker Vijender Gupta suspended 21 out of 22 AAP legislators for the whole day. With the exception of Amantullah Khan, all AAP lawmakers were escorted out of the House. Their suspension was increased to three sittings of the House at the end of day's proceedings.

The assembly was then adjourned for 30 minutes. When it reconvened at noon, chief minister Rekha Gupta tabled a CAG report that alleged that the Delhi government lost Rs 2,026 crore in revenue due to issues related to the making and implementation of the excise policy. The CM said that the CAG report the first of 14 reports that are scheduled to be tabled in this session of the assembly - was tabled in keeping with the promise to provide corruptionfree governance to the people.

"The CAG report has made it clear that the government treasury was looted...in the name of liquor policy. Also, it has become clear that the previous government had completely failed in protecting the interests of the public," the CM said in a post on X.

Almost immediately, the CAG report whose findings were leaked weeks before the Delhi assembly polls and became a major campaign issue-triggered a bitter war of words between the BJP and the ААР.