NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Delhi Legislative Assembly Atishi on Sunday had issued a written response to the privilege notice served against her, claiming that she has never made any derogatory remark against Sikh Gurus and that no such reference was made by her in the House at any point.
In her reply to the secretary of the Assembly, Atishi terms the allegations as vague and unsubstantiated, flagging serious procedural lapses, and seeks the complete complaint, certified unedited official video recordings, and all related communications to enable a meaningful response in keeping with the principles of natural justice.
Amid the row over alleged remarks made by the LoP, the Delhi Assembly secretariat had on January 15 written a letter to her asking her to submit a written reply to the Committee of Privileges. The letter, written by the Delhi Assembly speaker Vijender Gupta to Atishi, stated that the remarks caused disruption despite repeated requests to defer the discussion and asked her to attend the House to clarify the matter.
“Following the incident, and in keeping with the principles of natural justice, the speaker asked the member to attend the sitting and clarify the position. However, the member failed to do so. As a result, on January 8, the speaker referred the matter to the Committee of Privileges,” stated the letter. The chairperson of the committee has directed her to submit a written statement on the case on or before January 19.
Atishi said in the response, “I categorically deny the allegation in its entirety” . She claimed that her reverence for Sikh Gurus is deeply personal and rooted in family values. “I come from a family where reverence for Sikh Gurus is not a matter of political posture but of lived values and deep personal faith; a family from which for generations the eldest son becomes a Sikh to serve the community.”
LoP writes to Amit Shah
Atishi has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking an urgent meeting, alleging that the breakdown of law and order has pushed the capital into a climate of fear.
She has alleged that a systemic collapse is marked by a lack of accountability, raising a stark question for citizens: if the country’s capital is unsafe, whom can people trust to protect them? She asserts that Delhi deserves safety, not silence.