A war of words started between Aam Adami Party and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders over the ruckus and clash at the Civic Centre for the order in which to take oath before the commencement of the election to determine Delhi's mayor, deputy mayor and other leaders on Friday.
The BJP and AAP councillors clashed with each other and raised slogans against each other before the commencement of the polls.
High drama ensued in the house for over an hour as Delhi was all set to elect its first single mayor in 10 years after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was unified last year.
High pitched ruckus was seen in the Civic Centre as the presiding officer invited alderman Manoj Kumar to take oath first. AAP and BJP councillors raised slogans inside the house. The presiding officer, MCD commissioner and other officials left the house after the ruckus in the house.
BJP blames AAP for 'hooliganism'
BJP MP Parvesh Verma, who was addressing a press conference along with Meenakashi Lekhi and Manoj Tiwari, said two of the BJP's women councillors were manhandled by AAP leaders.
"We have with us two women councillors of our party- Anita ji and Indrakaur ji. When AAP's male councillors surrounded these two, 5-6 councillors of AAP started manhandling Indrakaur ji, pulled her hair, and hit on her hand with some sharp object. She had a cut on her hand and suffered a lot of bleeding," Pavesh Verma said as both the BJP councillors came and stood in the middle of the dais during the press conference.
"When Anita ji reached out to help her, even her hand suffered a cut. You will clearly see in the video that AAP councillors were manhandling them. They (BJP women councillors) even said that some of the AAP councillors were drunk," Parvesh Verma said.
Two BJP women councillors, who were present on the dais, showed their injuries to reporters present for the press conference.
BJP women councillors allegedly injured during clashes with AAP councillors show their wounds in a press conference. |
'BJP came with planning of clash': AAP
AAP's councillor Parveen Kumar, in a press conference with party leaders Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bharadwaj, claimed that the BJP had come to the house with intention of creating clashes. He claimed that BJP councillors started attacking them after they raised objections to nominated aldermen taking oath before the elected representatives.
"When we all councillors of AAP went inside the house for oath-taking, the BJP had already planned to forcefully and illegally administer oath first to the goons who they have sent as aldermen to this house. We raised an objection that we have been elected by the people, and aldermen have never administered the oath first in the history of MCD. When I raised an objection, the aldermen, elected councillors and MPs of the BJP attacked me. They even tried to throw the memento used for oath-taking towards my head, which I stopped with my hand and got injured. Then they tried to strangle me, tore my clothes. Around 25-30 councillors and MPs attacked me," Kumar said.
AAP councillor Parveen Kumar addressing a press conference with an injury he allegedly got during clash with BJP leaders in house. |
Kejriwal terms BJP's move as unconstitutional
After the chaos and clashes between AAP and BJP councillors on the first day of MCD proceedings which ultimately led to the adjournment of the House, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the attempt to get nominated members to vote in the House is unconstitutional.
Sharing the Article of the composition of the Municipality Act, Kejriwal tweeted, "Article 243R of the Constitution clearly debars nominated members from voting in the House. Attempt to get them to vote in the House is unconstitutional."
(With inputs from ANI)
