BJP MLAs protest in Delhi Assembly with oxygen masks, cylinders

PTI, Jan 16, 2023, 5:58 PM IST

Image credit: ANI

New Delhi: BJP MLAs entered the Delhi Assembly with oxygen masks and cylinders on Monday to protest against the alleged inaction of the AAP government on tackling pollution, as the opposition and ruling parties crossed swords in the House on the first day of the Winter Session.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said that Delhi has become a gas chamber but the AAP government is not paying attention to the problem of pollution.

As soon as the proceedings began, AAP MLAs started protesting against the BJP MLAs who were wearing masks and carrying oxygen cylinders.

A visibly angry Speaker Ram Niwas Goel directed that the cylinders be taken away from the BJP members and questioned how they brought them into the House despite security restrictions.

Taking cognisance of the ”lapse” and noting that the cylinders could be used to injure someone, he summoned security personnel to his chamber over the issue.

BJP MLAs – Bidhuri, Abhay Verma, Mohan Singh Bisht, Om Prakash Sharma, and Jitendra Mahajan – were also seen wearing placards around their necks that alleged that people of Delhi were dying due to the toxic air and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Bidhuri, in a statement, said people are suffering from cancer and lung diseases due to pollution. ”Hospitals in Delhi are full of patients with respiratory diseases. Doctors say that the disease of cough and pneumonia is spreading rapidly in the capital and the biggest reason for this is the pollution of Delhi,” he said.

”The number of children and elderly people is very high among these patients. Especially after the coronavirus, people are getting more lung diseases due to pollution, but the government’s attention is not on controlling pollution,” he added.

BJP leaders said the legislators adopted the unique way to draw the attention of the Delhi government towards the serious problem of pollution.

Even as the protest by BJP members refused to die down in the House, the Speaker said, ”Show me the certificate if you had corona. I will allow you (to carry oxygen cylinder) …. This is false. Please have some shame. I urge members to maintain peace.” The BJP MLAs could not be heard in the commotion.

Later, a war of words broke out between BJP MLAs and members of the ruling AAP which alleged ”illegal and unwanted obstructions and interferences” by the lieutenant governor, and Goel adjourned proceedings for 10 minutes.

The BJP has eight MLAs in the 70-member House.

AAP legislator Saurabh Bhardwaj initiated the discussion on a calling attention motion on the issue of ”illegal and unwanted obstructions and interferences in the education of children and training of teachers”. The Assembly was adjourned for the day, amid protests by AAP MLAs against the Lieutenant Governor.

The assembly saw repeated adjournments on the first day of its three-day session and hardly 10 minutes of proceedings could be held.