BJP legislator O.P. Sharma was on Thursday suspended for the rest of the Delhi Assembly’s ongoing Winter Session because of his derogatory remarks against AAP MLA Alka Lamba.
The session was extended for a week till December 4 and Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said that Mr Sharma will remain suspended for the entire period. The matter was also referred to the ethics committee of the House for further probe as six women MLAs of the AAP, sporting black badges, sat in the well of the House for Mr Sharma’s permanent suspension and his imprisonment for use of foul language in the Assembly.
The House had to be adjourned twice as it witnessed stormy scenes from the ruling AAP MLAs demanding Mr Sharma’s imprisonment for his remarks. The BJP legislators, meanwhile, sat outside the House protesting against the misbehaviour of their AAP counterparts and returned only when the proceedings resumed after 4 pm to discuss the amendments in the citizens’ charter bill.
Unable to control the chaos, Mr Goel adjourned the House twice. When the session resumed after the second adjournment, Ms Lamba who was protesting in the well demanded the Speaker must take time-bound action once the ethics committee submits its report on the matter. On her request, Mr Goel tasked the committee to submit a report before the commencement of the next session of the 70-member legislature.
The nine-member ethics committee oversees the moral and ethical conduct of members and examines complaints relating to unethical conduct of a member referred to it by the House or Speaker. The House proceedings could only resume after deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia urged the AAP legislators to withdraw their protest.
The resolution to suspend Mr Sharma from the entire session was moved by AAP legislator from Najafgarh, Kailash Gehlot. This was passed by the Assembly with full majority. Another resolution to refer the matter to the ethics committee was moved by the tourism minister and AAP MLA from Karawal Nagar, Kapil Mishra, and this too was passed immediately.
Mr Goel on Tuesday had suspended Mr Sharma, one of the three BJP legislators in the Delhi Assembly till November 26 for using offensive personal remarks against Ms Lamba during a discussion on homeless and night shelters. Though Mr Sharma’s remark was not audible, he was quoted by Speaker Goel as saying Ms Lamba was “a woman who roams at night.”
