BJP MLAs meet L-G, flag omission of Question Hour from upcoming Assembly session

BJP MLAs met L-G Saxena to point out alleged "anomalies" in AAP govt's two-day Assembly session. They requested intervention to uphold dignity of Assembly & protect rights of legislators. Suggested expert opinions or committee to address unconstitutional situation.

A delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs on Thursday met Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena at Raj Niwas and pointed out alleged “anomalies” by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in calling a two-day Assembly session.

BJP MLAs, led by the party’s Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, submitted a letter to the L-G and requested his intervention in “upholding the dignity of the Assembly and protecting the rights of the legislators”.

In a summons, the Assembly Secretary on Tuesday had said the fourth session of the Seventh Legislative Assembly has been “tentatively fixed” on the two dates — August 16 and 17.

Alleging that Speaker Ram Niwas Goel has called the session “without following any constitutional procedure”, the BJP MLAs said that there is no Question Hour included in the session.

“In the past, at least 10 sessions of the Assembly have been called at very short notice on matters which had nothing to do with the people or issues of Delhi. The basic parliamentary right of MLAs, especially of the Opposition to ask questions has been denied by keeping the Question Hour out of the House agenda,” they said in the letter.

“As the main Opposition, BJP MLAs have dozens of issues to raise and ask questions upon such as the flood mismanagement, panic button scam, ration distribution scam,” the letter read.

Mr. Bidhuri said that he also informed Mr. Saxena that the government only convenes House sessions “to exchange derogatory remarks” against the Centre, the Prime Minister or the L-G.