NEW DELHI: Amid allegations of disruptive behaviour by AAP MLAs during a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta has asked them to withdraw from the next sitting. The Speaker has said that if opposition members refused to follow the direction, they may be removed from the sitting.
The PAC was constituted to examine the CAG reports tabled in the Vidhan Sabha earlier in March. Its members include BJP MLAs Ajay Mahawar (Chairman), Arvinder Singh Lovely, Kailash Gahlot, Raj Kumar Chauhan, Satish Upadhyay, and Shikha Rai. AAP MLAs—Leader of Opposition Atishi, Kuldeep Kumar, and Virendra Singh Kadiyan—are also part of the panel.
PAC Chairman Ajay Mahawar alleged disruptions and violent behaviour by opposition members, including LoP Atishi, during the last committee sitting in a written complaint.
It was also noted that during the first sitting on May 22, the AAP members—led by Atishi—questioned the committee’s authority to examine CAG reports in light of the GNCTD (Amendment) Act, 2021. They demanded the Law Department’s opinion before the proceedings could continue.
This confrontation is part of a broader debate over the scope and authority of Assembly Committees following the 2021 amendment. Responding to Atishi’s letter dated May 6, Speaker Gupta defended the amendments, stating they were essential due to past misuse of committee powers. He asserted that while committees must operate within legal boundaries, they retain sufficient authority under the Constitution and Assembly Rules, including the power to examine all CAG reports. In his communication, he said Assembly Committees play a critical role in ensuring accountability and transparency in governance, and “their powers cannot be nullified by administrative interpretations.”
Gupta further clarified that the GNCTD (Amendment) Act, 2021, does not curtail the committee’s right to scrutinise public spending or audit reports submitted by constitutional authorities like the CAG. He maintained that the Chairperson of any committee has the authority to regulate proceedings and maintain order, and that defiance must be addressed to uphold House decorum.
The Speaker added that respect for parliamentary procedures is “non-negotiable” and reminded members that obstructionist behaviour would attract disciplinary action. He appealed to all committee members to perform their duties constructively and uphold the dignity of the House.
In a related matter, the Delhi Assembly had last Friday issued notices to former chief minister Atishi and other AAP MLAs for allegedly disclosing deliberations from a recent General Purposes Committee meeting. The notices, issued on Thursday, followed a BJP complaint citing “contempt and breach of privilege.”