NEW DELHI: Delhi Assembly proceedings were adjourned till Thursday following sloganeering by AAP MLAs who demanded a CBI probe into the alleged “Operation Lotus” by the BJP. The AAP members also
supported the BJP’s demand for a probe into the allegations of poaching of MLAs. The special session was disrupted for the third day on Wednesday as the ruling AAP and opposition BJP MLAs forced adjournments. The session commenced on Friday.
At a press meet on the day, the BJP said the claims by AAP MLAs that they have been approached by the party and offered up to Rs 20 crore to switch sides is a matter of forensic investigation and they should undergo a lie detector test.
AAP leaders visited Rajghat last week to underline the failure of ‘Operation Lotus’ in Delhi. They had alleged that BJP had tried to poach some of their MLAs, including Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, by offering them Rs 20 crore each but had failed to do so since their lawmakers were “hard-core honest’’.
As soon as the House assembled for a discussion on the confidence motion on Wednesday, BJP MLA Vijender Gupta asked Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla to take up his calling attention motion, even as AAP MLA Atishi tried to raise the issue of alleged “Operation Lotus” of the BJP.
Members of both sides shouted slogans, prompting Birla to adjourn the House till 11.30 am. The AAP MLAs also torched an effigy of “Operation Lotus” at the Assembly premises, even as the BJP called it an ‘unconstitutional incident’ against which legal action should be taken. Gupta’s calling attention motion concerned alleged corruption in the construction of classrooms in Delhi government schools.
AAP MLAs also raised slogans, demanding CBI probe into alleged “Operation Lotus”, following which the House was adjourned for the day. Gupta, who was marshalled out, said the government is “hell-bent on evading people’s questions” about the way they “looted public money”. “In the three days since the special session was called, the government did not allow ‘Question Hour’, ‘Short Duration Discussion’ or any other opposition question to be raised in the assembly,” he claimed.
AAP, BJP at loggerheads over edu model
A verbal spat broke out between BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia and AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj on Wednesday over the Delhi government’s education model. Bhatia said he visited a Delhi government-run school in Greater Kailash on being asked to do so by the AAP MLA. He alleged that Bhardwaj “failed to provide the list” of 500 new schools. However, the AAP MLA responded saying the BJP spokesperson “refused” to visit schools that have been newly constructed by the Delhi government. “The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA had asked me to visit Kautilya School on Wednesday and said that he would provide the list of 500 new schools. However, after I visited the location, the AAP MLA failed to show the list,” Bhatia alleged. Taking to Twitter, Bhatia futher challenged the AAP government to make the list of 500 new schools public.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders on Wednesday sat on a protest demonstration outside the CBI headquarters demanding a probe into the alleged poaching of MLAs by the BJP-ruled centre, being tagged as “Operation Lotus”.
The ruling party in Delhi has been raising the issue in the Assembly session, of the saffron party trying to topple non-BJP governments allegedly with the money earned by hiking taxes on eatables and frequent fuel price hikes.
The 12-member delegation of AAP MLAs reached the CBI office to meet director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal though his office had not given any response to their request for the meeting.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, “This proves that the CBI functions at BJP’s behest. I had requested an appointment with the CBI director but I am yet to get a response.” He added, “The CBI must probe the toppling of governments by the BJP and ascertain the source of the money being used for buying MLAs under Operation Lotus.”
AAP’s Kalkaji MLA Atishi, leading the delegation, said, “The BJP has spent `6,300 crores on Operation Lotus. Hence, a CBI probe should be conducted and the source of this money must be ascertained.”