Monsoon session of Delhi Assembly begins on stormy note

Delhi Assembly proceedings began on a stormy note on the first day of the Monsoon Session with slogans raised over the demolition of a Ravidas temple in Tughlakabad leading to the House being adjourned thrice and opposition members marshalled out.

The House witnessed uproar on several occasions with both AAP and BJP MLAs arguing over the issue.

Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta and his colleagues in the Delhi Assembly were marshalled out of the House when they continued to interrupt Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's speech on the issue Ravidas temple despite the Speaker's warning.

The Delhi Assembly adopted a resolution demanding that the central government passes an ordnance to reconstruct a Ravidas temple in the Tughalakbad area itself.

 

Addressing the House, Kejriwal said his government would swap 100 acres of land with the Centre for the plot where the temple stood.

The Ravidas temple was demolished by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on August 10 on the orders of the Supreme Court.

The issue continued to be at the centre of arguments between Aam Aadmi Party and Bhartiya Janata Party legislators throughout the day.

As the Assembly proceedings began at 2 pm, APP MLAs trooped into the well of the House carrying posters and shouted slogans following which the proceeding was adjourned for half an hour.

Uproar continued when the House reconvened following which it was further adjourned for 15 minutes.

When the House met the third time, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta, seeking to speak on the demolition of the temple, objected to the AAP legislators' continued agitation hindering the smooth functioning of the House and used a Hindi word to describe the uproar.

The use of the particular word further infuriated AAP MLAs, who created further ruckus, insisting upon an apology from the leader of opposition. Though the speaker expunged the word, the house had to be adjourned again for 15 minutes at 5.30 pm.

Dalit protesters had taken to the streets on Wednesday to protest the demolition of the temple and brought traffic movement in several parts of Delhi to a standstill. The protesters asked the central government to rebuild the temple. The protest turned violent on Wednesday night, leaving several people, including policemen, injured.