NEW DELHI: Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta condemned the opposition MLAs after they staged a walkout during a budget session, where allegations of power cuts in the national capital were being discussed. Gupta expressed surprise that when the matter was raised in the House, no members from the opposition were present.
He called their behavior “irresponsible,” noting that the discussion on power cuts had been included in the agenda at the opposition’s request.
AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar had submitted a notice under Rule 54 regarding power outages in Delhi, which was accepted and included for discussion. However, the opposition staged a walkout before the tabling of the CAG report on pollution, accusing the Speaker of not accepting their Calling Attention Motion for discussion.
BJP MLA Harish Khurana criticised the opposition for avoiding a discussion on power cuts and pollution. “The opposition knows they are being exposed. That’s why they walked out on such an important issue,” Khurana said.
Gupta added that the walkout was disappointing and reflected the opposition’s lack of seriousness about democratic processes. He stated, “Opposition members raise issues for media attention but choose to walk out when it’s time for actual discussion.” Despite the absence of the opposition, the House continued with the discussion, with eight members sharing their views.
Outside the Assembly, AAP MLAs alleged that the BJP government was dismantling the capital’s once-reliable power system. They demanded 24-hour electricity from CM Rekha Gupta. LoP Atishi claimed the AAP government had ensured uninterrupted power supply for a decade. “Ever since the BJP took over, power supply in Delhi has been hugely disrupted,” she said.