NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party Government on Monday tabled the anti-corruption legislation, Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill, in the Delhi Assembly amid protests both inside and outside the House.
Introducing the bill in the House, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia termed it ‘historic’. There was thumping of desks by members of the ruling AAP, who also raised slogans inside the House. Interestingly, when the Bill was tabled, the three members of the BJP, including Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta, were not present in the House.
Gupta was marshalled out of the House amid uproar over BJP legislator O P Sharma’s recent alleged derogatory remarks against ruling AAP legislator Alka Lamba.
Speaker Ram Niwas Goel initially asked Gupta to leave the House till 4 pm after he got into a war of words with AAP’s women legislators over the week-old issue. When he refused to budge, marshals were called in and they took Gupta out forcibly. Gupta resisted attempts by the marshals to remove him and tried to hold on to the bench but the staff jostled with him and evicted him from the House.
The incident occurred just when Sisodia was scheduled to introduce the Janlokpal Bill 2015. Sisodia said the proposed legislation brings under its ambit every act of corruption within the boundaries of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Kejriwal made his first appearance in the ongoing session of the House.
Sisodia hit out at the BJP and former AAP leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, who protested outside the assembly, over the bill’s criticism, saying that they all seemed unaware of Constitutional arrangement.
He further noted that the Bill provides for investigation and prosecution wings for the Lokpal. The Lokpal, with powers of the civil courts, shall have investigative powers and can take up issues suo motu or based on complaints, he said.
AAP MLAs chanted ‘Arvind Kejriwal zindabad’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ outside the House when the Bill was passed.