Delhi Assembly panels to be formed on Mar 24-26: Speaker

The newly constituted Delhi Assembly will establish its House committees, including the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), during the Budget Session scheduled for March 24-26, Speaker Vijender Gupta announced on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference after the adjournment of the first session of the 8th Assembly, Gupta emphasised that the tabling of two Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports on the Delhi government’s performance was just the beginning.

“In the coming days, the Assembly will take key decisions regarding the CAG reports presented in the House. The PAC will be constituted during the Budget Session and will begin its work in April,” he stated.

He further confirmed that all other House committees would also be formed during the Budget Session.

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Reflecting on the proceedings of the newly formed Assembly, Gupta noted that over five sittings, the House functioned for 18 hours and 18 minutes, with 126 members contributing their views on various issues.

Meanwhile, on Monday Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta also ruled that any MLA who is suspended or marshalled out must vacate the Vidhan Sabha premises entirely.

The ruling comes in response to a dispute over whether the suspended legislators could remain in certain areas of the Assembly complex, such as the lawns and the office of the Leader of Opposition.

Leader of the Opposition Atishi contended that according to the rule book, these areas were not covered under the suspension rules, allowing the MLAs to protest inside the premises.

However, the Speaker cited Rule 277 to clarify that a suspension meant complete removal from the Assembly premises.

“From now on, any MLA who is suspended or marshalled out will have to leave the premises altogether,” he ruled, reinforcing the authority of the Speaker’s office in such matters.

A controversy erupted after 21 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs, who were recently suspended over their protest against the alleged removal of B R Ambedkar’s portrait from the Chief Minister’s Office, were barred from entering the Assembly premises on February 27 and 28.

The suspended MLAs had staged a protest inside the Assembly complex, holding Ambedkar’s portraits and raising slogans. The situation escalated when they were barred from demonstrating at the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the premises, prompting Atishi to call the move “unprecedented” and an attack on democratic traditions.

(With inputs from PTI)