New Delhi, March 13 A commotion erupted soon after the proceedings of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House began on Friday, as AAP and BJP councillors clashed over allegations that a female AAP councillor was assaulted by associates of a BJP MLA in west Delhi.
The chaos erupted when the Leader of the Opposition, Ankush Narang, began speaking and moved a congratulatory motion in the House following the acquittal of former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders in the excise policy case.
During his address, Narang also raised the incident that allegedly took place on Wednesday involving Jyoti Gautam, a Dalit councillor of Ward No. 140 in the Rajendra Nagar constituency. He alleged that the associates of BJP MLA Umang Bajaj assaulted Gautam.
Reacting to the allegations, Bajaj denied any involvement in the incident and claimed the accusations were politically motivated.
"Jyoti Gautam was conducting a road inspection at approximately 1:30 am when she was physically manhandled and pushed to the ground. Her clothes were torn, and she sustained injuries," Narang alleged.
After completing his speech, Narang requested Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh to allow Gautam to speak in the House. The mayor, however, said he would listen to all matters in due course.
"...I requested that the Mayor listen to our councillor Jyoti Gautam from Inderpuri. However, the mayor was unwilling to listen. He was well aware that the BJP engages in hooliganism," Narang said in a statement.
Responding to the claims, MCD authorities said that there is an established procedure for speaking in the House and accused the AAP of disrupting proceedings.
Leader of the House Pravesh Wahi said that councillors are given opportunities to speak according to a predefined list submitted in writing.
"Jyoti Gautam wanted to present her views, but I had already granted a procedural opportunity to someone else. Names had been submitted in writing, and Ankush had already spoken first. However, when he was allowed to speak, he did not say anything about this specific matter," Wahi told