Assembly Election Results
New Delhi: A day after the budget session concluded, Speaker
Ram Niwas Goel
justified BJP MLA O P Sharma's suspension from the assembly for the next two sessions. He said Sharma could not offer any proof of his innocence. The latter was accused of using unparliamentary words against AAP legislator
Alka Lamba on the floor of the House in November last year.
The Speaker added that even the two other BJP MLAs-Vijender Gupta and Jagdish Pradhan-failed to come up with anything concrete to defend Sharma and prove that he was not guilty.
In November last year, Goel had suspended Sharma from the House for a few days after he allegedly used derogatory language against Lamba. Goel had also referred the matter to the ethics committee for further probe. The committee in its report recommended Sharma's expulsion from the House labelling him as a "habitual offender". However, the House decided to suspend Sharma for the next two sessions on Thursday.
Despite leader of the opposition
Vijender Gupta's protest, the House discussed the motion with seven members, all AAP legislators, raising the matter and criticising Sharma's conduct. Gupta said that the discussion on the report of the ethics committee was against the rules of the assembly because it was held prior to presenting the report. However, the motion was modified after deputy CM Manish Sisodia pointed out that Sharma just regretted and did not apologise for his words. The House then suspended Sharma from the next two sessions by voice vote, virtually forbidding his entry into the assembly for the entire year.
Goel said the House continued for 10 days holding five sittings during which the budget was presented by Sisodia. He added that the assembly secretariat had been asked to strictly follow up on complaints of incorrect answers to questions posed by MLAs to the ministers. Action will be taken if the answers are found to be wrong, he added.