AAP, BJP spar over stalking issue, death of sanitation workers

Ananya Panda

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 8

The Monsoon session of  Delhi Assembly had an uproarious start with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) training guns at the BJP on the Chandigarh stalking incident while the Opposition tried to corner the former over the recent death of sanitation workers in South Delhi.

The lawmakers of both sides trooped into the well of the House forcing Speaker Ram Niwas Goel to adjourn the proceedings twice and in the din two BJP MLAs — Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Leader of the Opposition Vijender Gupta — were marshalled out after they refused to return to their seats despite requests by the Speaker. The other BJP MLA, Jagdish Pradhan, went back to his seat.

At the outset in his observations the Speaker condemned the Chandigarh stalking case allegedly embroiling Haryana BJP chief’s son Vikas Barala to which Gupta took a strong exception.

Instead Gupta demanded a discussion on the recent death of three workers who died from asphyxiation while cleaning a sewer line in Lajpat Nagar prompting the Speaker to criticise him accusing him of disrespecting women.

During the day, the House has listed a discussion over security of women in the national Capital in the wake of the Chandigarh incident.

When Gupta joined by his two party colleagues rushed into the well of the House, the ruling AAP MLAs followed suit and raised anti-BJP slogans. The AAP legislators wore badges in solidarity for the woman who foiled her alleged stalkers in Chandigarh Friday night.

Amid all this, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in his response to Gupta’s demand for discussion on the death of workers said there is a standing instruction (from the Delhi High Court) to clean sewage mechanically but the contractor concerned allowed manual cleaning.

Sisodia told the House that the government has announced Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of deceased sanitation workers and the investigation is on in the matter. Strict action will be taken against anyone found guilty, he underlined.

However, this failed to prevent another adjournment as both the AAP and BJP MLAs held the ground in the well despite repeated requests by the Speaker to go back to their seats.

Water Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said the government is looking at evolving new parameters for cleaning sewers to check recurrence of such incidents. Under the new rules the responsibility of officers and contractors will be fixed and in case of any need for manual cleaning a junior engineer will be on the spot, said Gautam.