3 weeks ago
Eight AAP MLAs Ejected from Delhi Assembly in Rice Scam Protest
The Delhi Assembly is a big room where leaders make rules for Delhi.
Some leaders belong to a group called the Aam Aadmi Party, or AAP.
The AAP leaders were upset with Food Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
They think the Delhi government did something wrong with rice, which they called a rice scam.
They held up signs and shouted, asking Sirsa to quit his job.
The Speaker, Vijender Gupta, who is in charge of the Assembly, said their shouting was not okay.
He asked security helpers, called marshals, to take the eight AAP leaders out of the room.
Another AAP leader, Saurabh Bharadwaj, asked Sirsa why a rice plan stayed in his office for three months and then got approved in just one day.
The Food Minister said he did not do anything wrong and did not buy or sell any rice.
He said he might take the AAP leaders to court for saying bad things about him.
Eight AAP MLAs were marshalled out of the Delhi Assembly by Speaker Vijender Gupta on Tuesday, August 11, after they raised slogans and held placards demanding the resignation of Food Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
AAP has been protesting since the start of the session, alleging a rice scam by the Delhi government; Sirsa denied the allegations and threatened to file a defamation case against the opposition.
Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned why a proposal for subsidised rice stayed pending in Sirsa's office for three months before being forwarded and approved the same day and sent to the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
Bharadwaj also questioned an earlier allocation of 31,000 metric tonnes of rice and asked why the public was not informed about the distribution of such a large quantity of rice.
PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh claimed MLA Kuldeep Kumar threw something towards officials, and BJP MLA Ajay Mahawar requested a one-year Assembly ban on Kumar.
- Who
- Eight AAP MLAs, Speaker Vijender Gupta, Delhi Food Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, and Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj.
- What
- Eight AAP MLAs were marshalled out of the Delhi Assembly after disrupting proceedings with slogans and placards demanding the resignation of Food Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa over an alleged rice scam.
- Where
- Delhi Assembly, New Delhi.
- When
- Tuesday, August 11 (reported by PTI).
- Why
- AAP alleges a rice scam by the Delhi government and wants the minister's resignation; the Speaker said the MLAs had tried to disrupt the session continuously over the past three days.
AAP / Opposition View
Delhi Government / BJP View
Rice Scam Allegation
AAP / Opposition View
AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned why a subsidised rice proposal stayed in Sirsa's office for three months before being approved the same day and sent to the FCI, and asked why such a large quantity of rice was being distributed without public information. AAP demanded Sirsa's resignation over the alleged scam.
Delhi Government / BJP View
Sirsa and the Delhi BJP denied the charge, saying the government neither bought nor sold any rice, and that the minister only wrote 'maybe considered as per rules' on a company's representation. Sirsa threatened to file a defamation case against AAP.
Conduct of Protesting MLAs
AAP / Opposition View
Bharadwaj said a responsible minister should calmly answer the opposition's questions and should not try to intimidate them by threatening court action.
Delhi Government / BJP View
Speaker Vijender Gupta called the behaviour irresponsible and said the opposition had tried to disrupt the session continuously over the past three days; PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh claimed MLA Kuldeep Kumar threw something towards officials, and BJP MLA Ajay Mahawar sought a one-year ban on Kumar.
Key facts
- MLAs Ejected
- 8 (Sanjeev Jha, Jarnail Singh, Kuldeep Kumar, Som Dutt, Ajay Dutt, Virendra Kadyan, Surinder Kumar, Chaudhary Zubair Ahmed)
- Speaker
- Vijender Gupta
- Protest Target
- Food Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa
- Allegation
- Rice scam by the Delhi government; proposal for subsidised rice allegedly stayed in Sirsa's office for three months before same-day approval
- Sirsa's Response
- Denied the charge, said no rice was bought or sold, and threatened a defamation case against AAP
- Earlier Rice Allocation Questioned
- 31,000 metric tonnes of rice, distribution details not shared with the public
- Ban Request
- BJP MLA Ajay Mahawar sought a one-year Assembly ban for Kuldeep Kumar
- Reported By
- PTI news service
Quotes
Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta
Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly
“"We did not buy or sell any rice. We had a representation from a company. I only wrote ‘maybe considered as per rules’. There is no real issue left with the Opposition. I will take them to court in a defamation matter."”
theprint.in
“"Don’t be so angry. A responsible minister should calmly answer the opposition’s questions. Don’t try to intimidate by threatening court action. We have some questions, please answer them."”
theprint.in
Sources
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