Delhi Assembly adjourned for day over AAP MLAs' protest against stalling of water bill scheme

New Delhi: AAP MLAs trooped into the well of the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday and protested against stalling of the one-time settlement scheme for rectifying water bills, leading the Speaker to adjourn the House for the day.

Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri alleged that the ruling AAP MLAs "misbehaved" with him in the House. He lodged a complaint with the Speaker Ram Niwas Goel demanding action against the AAP legislators.

No immediate reaction was available from AAP over Bidhuri's charge.

After the special mention of issues related to the constituencies of the MLAs under Rule 280, the AAP members trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans against the BJP, accusing it of putting pressure on officers to stall the scheme.

They demanded that the Lt Governor suspend the officers responsible for obstructing the scheme.

The Speaker tried to pacify the AAP members and asked them to take their seats. But as the protesting MLAs refused to budge, he adjourned the House for half an hour.

When the House reconvened, the AAP MLAs again trooped into the well and raised slogans.

Goel again requested the MLAs to go back to their seats but they kept on raising slogans. Finally, the Speaker adjourned the House till 11 am on Wednesday.

Bidhuri, who was the lone BJP MLA present in the House at the time of the second adjournment, alleged that the AAP MLAs came to the well of the House and raised "objectionable slogans" against him and the leaders of his party.

Last week, the Speaker suspended seven of the total eight BJP MLAs in the House for causing interruptions during the address of Lt Governor V K Saxena in the Budget session.

Bidhuri said he has lodged a complaint with the Speaker requesting appropriate action against the AAP MLAs.

"The BJP MLAs were suspended from the House just for expressing their views. Why is there no action against the ruling party MLAs?" he questioned. During their protest in the well of the House, some AAP MLAs surrounded him and a few of them put the placards carried by them on his face and kept making noise, Bidhuri charged.

"They not only used abusive language against me but also used objectionable language against the BJP and its top leadership. Their conduct should be clearly termed as cheap and hooliganism," Bidhuri alleged.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, replying to a calling attention motion in the House on Monday on the issue of the stalled one-time settlement scheme, had urged Lt Governor Saxena to direct the officers to allow its implementation or take action against them if they refused.

He alleged the officers were not working due to pressure and threats by the BJP.