Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today asked AAP MLAs to function like elected members instead of "agitating leaders" and advocated a balanced approach between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, both new to their positions.
The Lok Sabha Speaker also urged AAP legislators to work under the "special circumstances" of Delhi even as Kejriwal, for his part, asked her to "teach the Opposition (three BJP MLAs) how to behave inside the Delhi Assembly".
Addressing a two-day 'Orientation Programme for MLAs' in Delhi Assembly, BJP MP Mahajan said that the AAP leaders in Delhi were "aware of the special circumstances" in the national capital before contesting the Assembly polls here and, hence, should work within that.
Mahajan said, "You (MLAs) are not agitating leaders now, but elected leaders... You have to understand that there is a difference between addressing a gathering at a demonstration and speaking in the Assembly.
"Delhi has special circumstances and, knowing that, you fought the Assembly polls; you should work under these special circumstances," she said.
The Lok Sabha Speaker also spoke out against protests that ended in damage being caused to public property.
"I want to request you that you have come to the Assembly winning the trust of the people. We started demonstrations from the British era. We also have to protest against the government's anti-people policy, but protesters should not damage public property," she said.
The opposition, she added, should also understand that if they want the people to remember them, they should protest against government policies on the basis of proper grounds instead of creating a needless ruckus.
Kejriwal, who was present on the occasion, termed the orientation programme a big learning opportunity for the legislators while requesting Mahajan to "teach the opposition BJP MLAs how to behave inside Delhi Assembly".
Delhi Assembly, meanwhile, got active on social media today with the launch of its Facebook and twitter pages.
The ruling AAP in Delhi has been locked in a power tussle with the Lt Governor in recent months. Also, in an open letter in June, Kejriwal had appealed to the prime minister to take steps to improve Delhi's deteriorating law and order situation or hand over control of the police to the city government.
