BJP seeks Gahlot’s resignation for ‘leaking budget’; MLA gets suspended for a year

BJP MLA Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Vijender Gupta (left) addressing the media on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel on Tuesday suspended BJP MLA Vijender Gupta until the next budget session for allegedly disrupting the House proceedings.

Terming the move “unconstitutional”, Leader of the Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said the BJP will legally challenge the Speaker’s decision to suspend the MLA. Amid demands for Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot’s resignation by the BJP, Mr. Gupta, earlier in the day, had given a notice for breach of privileges against Mr. Gahlot and Cabinet Minister Gopal Rai over alleged leaking of budget details. He demanded that the matter be sent to the Privileges Committee of the Assembly.

Mr. Gahlot, in a statement on Monday, had said the proposed budgetary allocation for capital expenditure is ₹22,000 crore and for ads ₹550 crore. Mr. Rai had tweeted the Finance Minister’s statement.

However, in his notice, Mr. Gupta mentioned the term “outcome budget”. Citing rules, the Speaker said the notice was to be given at least three hours in advance but was submitted at the Assembly Secretariat only at 10.59 a.m. “There is also no mention of the annual budget in the notice. It is clear that this notice has been given with the intent of creating disturbance,” the Speaker said, rejecting the notice. Mr. Gupta said it was a “typographical error” and that the Speaker rejected the notice on “baseless grounds”.

Later in the day, as the House reconvened after lunch, he was allowed to raise the subject. Even as he spoke, AAP legislator Sanjeev Jha demanded that Mr. Gupta be suspended for one year for “constantly disrupting the proceedings”. The proposal was put on the floor by the Speaker and passed through voting. Claiming that it was a “planned move” by the ruling party, Mr. Gupta told The Hindu that the Speaker had assured him during the lunch break that he would be allowed to present his side. “But just as I started speaking, the ruling MLAs started shouting and within minutes, I was suspended,” he said.

Mr. Bidhuri said the AAP government and Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal “do not have the understanding of the constitutional provisions” as it announced the budget date without it being approved by the Central government.

Ahead of Mr. Kejriwal’s address, Mr. Bidhuri said, “During former CM Sheila Dikshit’s government, her Finance Minister Mahinder Singh Saathi had once announced the budget date before the Centre’s nod. The then Speaker had sought an explanation from him and the FM had to apologise.”

Earlier in the morning, BJP working president Virendra Sachdeva, referring to Japan PM Fumio Kishida’s visit, accused Mr. Kejriwal of “embarrassing the country” whenever it demonstrates its progress and potential.

“Kejriwal should tell that when the file came to him on March 17, why he sat on it for three days,” Mr. Sachdeva said, accusing the CM of “lying” about the Chief Secretary not informing about the file and “defaming” the Centre.