Speaker directs inquiry by privileges committee

After days of continuous discussion in the ongoing monsoon session of the Delhi Assembly, Speaker Vijender Gupta on Thursday referred the entire issue to the privileges committee of the House for an in-depth investigation.

The committee will summon former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, former speaker Ram Niwas Goel and his deputy Rakhi Birla.

Furthermore, the Speaker directed for the restoration of the heritage structure to its original form. In both the rooms, the 1912 architectural map of the Assembly building shall be displayed to ensure that no one can ever again distort or undermine the historical dignity of this institution.

Moreover, the foundation stone plaque, installed on August 9, 2022 to mark the inauguration of this fake gallows bearing the names of the then Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia, shall be immediately removed.

Gupta mentioned that the documents from the National Archives of India, including a 1912 map of the Assembly premises, along with research conducted by various esteemed institutions such as the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), historians from Delhi University and JNU, MCD Heritage Cell, Delhi Archives and other independent historians, have collectively confirmed that no gallows ever existed in this building. There was no tunnel leading from the Assembly premises to the Red Fort, as falsely claimed.

“When the so-called gallows was constructed in 2022, coinciding with the commemoration of the Quit India Movement on August 9, my own emotions, along with those of fellow opposition members, were stirred with patriotic sentiment,” he added.

However, after assuming the office of the Speaker, and upon receiving verified documents from credible research institutions and national archives, it became painfully clear that this so-called gallows was a complete fabrication, the Speaker said.