Delhi Assembly issues notices to former CM Atishi, AAP MLAs for "disclosing" details of GPC meeting

New Delhi: The Delhi Assembly has issued notices to former chief minister Atishi and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs for allegedly "disclosing" deliberations of the recently held General Purposes Committee meeting. The notices issued on Thursday comes following a complaint of "contempt and breach of privilege" by the BJP members. A row had erupted after the meeting as the AAP had claimed that its MLAs, who are members of the panel, had proposed that Mata Savitribai Phule's portrait be also installed on the Delhi Assembly premises.

They alleged that the BJP members did not allow the proposal to be passed. The assembly officials, however, said that no written proposal was submitted and the issue was raised verbally. In a complaint addressed to Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta on May 22, Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht, BJP chief whip Abhay Verma and party leaders Raj Kumar Bhatia and Tilak Ram Gupta alleged that the AAP members during the deliberations in the General Purposes Committee (GPC) meeting made a passing suggestion that Savitribai Phule's portrait can also be installed. "However, we were shocked to find out that the members of the AAP had twisted the facts and declared in a press conference that the ruling party members had opposed their proposal and not allowed for the portrait of Mata Savitribai Phule to be installed," read the complaint. The Assembly Secretariat has following the complaint issued notices to Leader of Opposition Atishi and AAP MLAs Kuldeep Kumar, Veer Singh Dhingan and Zubair directing them to submit their written comments on the contents of the complaint on or before May 30. The BJP MLAs in the complaint claimed "the very fact that the deliberations of the Committee were disclosed" is itself a "serious issue of breach of privilege". "Our rules provide that the deliberations cannot be disclosed unless the report is submitted to the House or the speaker allows it. Accordingly, we are hereby giving notice for initiating breach of privilege and contempt proceedings against Atishi, Kuldeep Kumar, Veer Singh Dhingan and Zubair Ahmad for disclosing the details of proceedings of the GPC and also for disclosing it in a false and twisted manner," they said. They accused the AAP MLAs of "disclosing the deliberation" with "political and mischievous agenda" and also claimed that the opposition leaders "deliberately twisted the facts and have presented an entirely false picture before the public".

The proceedings of the meeting will prove that nothing as alleged by the AAP members transpired in the meeting, they said in the complaint and stressed that their informal suggestion was recorded in the meetings for a suitable decision. "The conduct of these members... in disclosing the details of the deliberations and also misrepresenting it in a false manner for cheap political mileage needs to be severely dealt with," the BJP MLAs said. "Not only have they insulted us personally and our beloved party, but they have dragged the privileged institution of the assembly and its committees into the public domain with a view to besmirch the reputation of the ruling party members and cast aspersion on the working of the committees," they added.