Stormy start to budget session; 3 BJP MLAs marshalled out
The Hindu
L-G lists out government achievements, speech interrupted by slogan shouting; House passes resolution against disruption of L-G’s speech by BJP MLAs; BJP stages protest outside House; government elected by two crore people should be allowed to work: CM
The budget session of the Delhi Assembly began on a stormy note on Friday as Bharatiya Janata Party and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs raised slogans against each other just as Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena began his speech in the House.
While the Opposition MLAs demanded Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation, the ruling party members raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The L-G could begin his address only after Speaker Ram Niwas Goel ordered the removal of three BJP MLAs. While Jitendra Mahajan, Anil Bajpai and O.P. Sharma of the BJP were marshalled out of the House, the rest of the BJP legislators, led by Leader of the Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, staged a walkout.
The Lieutenant-Governor, in his maiden address in Delhi Assembly, praised the government for maintaining robust economic fundamentals despite the pandemic and listed out its various achievements. Mr. Saxena said, “In spite of various constraints, my government has taken up a number of initiatives on various fronts and laid a strong edifice on which it can help build a developed and prosperous Delhi.”
Improvements in the field of education and the AAP government flagship schemes and initiatives featured prominently in the L-G’s address.
The L-G informed the House that Delhi’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) had seen a growth of 50% from ₹6,16,085 crore in 2016-17 to ₹9,23,967 crore during 2021-22.
On the infrastructure front, the L-G said that 1.35 lakh CCTV cameras had been installed in the city. He also mentioned the construction of underpasses and flyovers, including the extension of the Ashram flyover.
In 2021, five women from Mayithara, four of them MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers, found a common ground in their desire to create a sustainable livelihood by growing vegetables. Rajamma M., Mary Varkey, Valsala L., Elisho S., and Praseeda Sumesh, aged between 70 and 39, pooled their savings, rented a piece of land and began their collective vegetable farming journey under the Deepam Krishi group.