Delhi Assembly session starts today, AAP set to target MCDs as BJP plans protest

At the two-day assembly session, the ruling AAP legislators are likely to raise issues such as the functioning of the BJP-led MCDs.

The winter session of Delhi Assembly starts at 2 pm on Tuesday. At the two-day session, the ruling AAP legislators are likely to raise issues such as the functioning of the BJP-led municipal corporations even as the opposition accuses Delhi government of ‘circumventing’ rules and ‘breaking’ conventions.

Opposition leader in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said that not inviting lieutenant governor Anil Baijal to address the House is ‘dishonouring’ his Constitutional office.(Sonu Mehta/HT Photo)

Though the AAP government is unlikely to introduce any new Bill during the session, officials said the state government is expected to table revised estimates for the current financial year (2016-17) on Wednesday.

“The assembly is likely to witness short duration discussions. About 17 MLAs have submitted multiple questions for discussion on the first day, while 25 MLAs have put up multiple questions for the second day. However, as per practice, only 20 starred questions will be listed for the question hour,” an official said.

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Meanwhile, Opposition leader in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said that not inviting lieutenant governor Anil Baijal to address the House of Delhi Legislative Assembly is ‘dishonouring’ his Constitutional office.

“The Section 19 (1) of the Delhi Legislative Assembly Rules stipulates that at the commencement of the first session of each year, the L-G shall address the House. This rule is being honoured since the very beginning of the constitution of the Delhi Assembly. But the present government has chosen to circumvent the rules,” Gupta said in a statement.

This is going to be the sixth segment of the ongoing fourth session of the assembly. The last segment was held on November 15, 2016, where chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had levelled serious allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gupta criticised the AAP government for the continuing session. BJP workers led by Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari are also likely to protest outside the assembly, party leaders said.

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“It has treated the New Year’s first session as sixth part of the fourth session, breaking the followed convention. It has never happened in the last 23 years of the Vidhan Sabha that a session has continued for nearly 10 months. The session has never been divided into so many parts, but the AAP government arbitrarily sets its own practices and conventions,” Gupta said.

The assembly officials, however, denied the charge saying the decision was part of parliamentary practice. “The L-G address is mandatory for the budget session,” an official said.

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