New Delhi: The Delhi Assembly on Monday witnessed noisy scenes and passed a censure motion against Delhi BJP president Adesh Kumar Gupta for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Speaker Ram Niwas Goel also suspended three BJP MLAs — Anil Bajpai, Jitender Mahajan and Ajay Mahawar - for a brief period amid a vociferous protest by the AAP over Gupta's remarks. Bajpai, Mahajan and Mahawar were told to leave after they stood on the benches even as the Speaker requested them to sit down.
Following this, the proceedings of the House were adjourned for 15 minutes, the second time since the House first met in the morning.
Earlier, as soon as the MLAs assembled in the morning, AAP legislators entered the well of the House shouting slogans over the BJP leader's alleged remarks against Kejriwal.
A censure motion needs to be brought in the House against the Delhi BJP president for his derogatory remark against the chief minister. The Leader of Opposition should tender an apology, AAP MLA Mohinder Goel said.
The speaker accepted the censure motion by Goel after the House reassembled around noon and it was passed by voice vote.
"We are good people, our volunteers are shareef (virtuous). Otherwise, such remark deserve beheading," Goel said. He dared Gupta to make similar remarks against chief ministers of BJP states. Leader of Opposition Ramvir Bidhuri said, "If any indecent words have been used by anybody, I condemn it."
"If there is any truth in the allegation against Adesh Gupta, I will apologise to the Delhi chief minister with folded hands. But if the Delhi BJP president has condemned any leader of our party, Mohinder Goel will have to apologise in the House," he said.
The Speaker asked Bidhuri to show him the video of the remarks later, and allowed the three suspended BJP MLAs to re-join the House proceedings.
BJP walks out
Moreover, the Opposition BJP staged a walkout after Speaker Ram Niwas Goel rejected BJP MLA Vijender Gupta's plea to allow a condemnation motion to be passed in the Assembly over Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's remarks on the Kashmiri Pandits exodus.
Gupta had moved the condemnation motion and demanded an apology from Kejriwal, terming his remarks on the exodus "insensitive". '
In the motion, Gupta stated that Kejriwal's remarks on March 25 in which he called the movie The Kashmir Files' a lie has hurt the sentiments of Kashmiri Hindus worldwide. Opposition members staged a protest when the motion was rejected.
Gupta was marshalled out while the rest of the opposition walked out in protest. Goel did not allow a discussion on the film saying that he cannot allow a discussion on a film in the Assembly.
"Films are fictions. I will not accept a discussion on them in the House. I cannot allow a discussion on a film in the Assembly," he said.