AAP will boycott Delhi Assembly's Budget session if suspension of 4 MLAs not revoked: Atishi
Says "the AAP will take to the streets with lakhs of people if the Opposition's voice is suppressed"
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will boycott the Budget session of the Delhi Assembly if the suspension of four of its legislators is not revoked by the speaker, Leader of Opposition Atishi said on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference on the eve of the session, Atishi accused the BJP of muzzling the AAP through privilege notices and suspensions.
The BJP hit back, saying Atishi is unable to digest that the Assembly has been transacting business instead of indulging in political speeches.
The four AAP MLAs — Sanjeev Jha, Kuldeep Kumar, Somdutt and Jarnail Singh — were suspended in the last session and removed from the official WhatsApp group of the 70 Delhi legislators, Atishi said.
AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar, a member of the Delhi Assembly's Public Accounts Committee, was not called for meetings nor was he sent draft reports of the panel, she claimed.
"If the unconstitutional suspension of the four MLAs is not revoked, then none of the AAP MLAs will participate in the upcoming session," Atishi said.
The former chief minister alleged the BJP has been muzzling the AAP through privilege notices and suspensions.
She said she alone was served four privilege notices.
Atishi said the AAP will take to the streets with lakhs of people if the Opposition's voice is suppressed.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that Atishi is unable to digest the fact that for the first time, bills are being passed in the Assembly and questions of public importance and issues pertaining to Delhi are being raised.
"The previous AAP government only used the Assembly to give political speeches instead of understanding the issues of Delhi and forming policies to run Delhi in an efficient way," he said.
The BJP has 48 MLAs in the Assembly, while the AAP has 22.
