NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition Atishi on Tuesday wrote to Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta, demanding the immediate revocation of the suspension of four AAP MLAs and alleging a sustained pattern of silencing Opposition voices in the House.
In her letter, Atishi criticised the Speaker’s recent remarks questioning the Opposition’s absence from Assembly proceedings, calling them “misplaced and deeply ironic”.
She argued that the Opposition’s non-participation stems from repeated suspensions and expulsions that have made meaningful engagement impossible.
Highlighting what she described as a deteriorating democratic environment, Atishi stated that over the past year, the Assembly has “not been allowed to function as a democratic institution,” alleging that Opposition MLAs have been routinely silenced, removed, or suspended on “the slightest provocation.”
She cited the suspension of four AAP MLAs—Sanjiv Jha, Kuldeep Kumar, Jarnail Singh, and Som Dutt—during the Winter Session as a “glaring example” of what she termed authoritarian functioning.
According to her, the MLAs were not only barred from attending the House for the entire session but were also denied entry to Assembly premises and prevented from participating in committee meetings even after the session ended.
Atishi also accused the ruling BJP of benefiting from “blatant double standards,” claiming that its MLAs disrupted proceedings for two days without facing any disciplinary action.
“Such biased conduct has never been witnessed in the history of the Delhi Legislative Assembly,” she said in the letter.
She asserted that the Opposition is ready to join proceedings immediately once the suspension of the four MLAs is revoked. Calling the continued exclusion of elected representatives an “assault on democratic norms,”
Atishi urged the Speaker to restore the “dignity, neutrality, and credibility” of the Assembly.