- AAP MLAs protested in Delhi Assembly with sacks of rice over alleged rice scam involving Sirsa
- Delhi Minister Sirsa denied allegations, said no rice was purchased or sold by the govt
- Speaker condemned protest as indiscipline; two AAP MLAs were marshalled out of the House
The Delhi Assembly witnessed high drama on Tuesday as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators staged a protest over an alleged "scam", carrying sacks of rice into the House and throwing some of it during the proceedings.
AAP MLAs also carried placards inside the house targeting Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, demanding his resignation over an alleged rice scam.
Meanwhile, Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma said AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar took rice out of his pocket and threw it at members and officials.
"Speaker Sir, today all the members of the House seek your protection. It has been three days and they have continuously been creating a ruckus. Today, they crossed all limits. Kuldeep Kumar took rice out of his pocket and threw it at our members and our officials. Action should be taken against him," Verma said.
Speaker Vijender Gupta strongly condemned the incident.
"What is happening in the House is the height of indiscipline. This will not be tolerated at any cost," he said.
AAP MLAs Ajay Dutt and Virender Singh Kadyan were later marshalled out of the House.
Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who has been targeted by AAP over the rice row, denied the allegations and said the Delhi government had neither purchased nor sold any rice.
"The manner in which something was thrown at our officials amounts to contempt of the House," Mr Sirsa said.
"Our government neither purchased any rice nor sold it. We received a representation from a company which had purchased the rice, and I wrote just one line asking that it be considered," he said.
"We did not purchase it, we did not pay any money and we have no quota involved."
Sirsa accused AAP of creating a ruckus over the issue for the last three days to ensure there was no discussion on financial assistance for women.
"They have been creating a ruckus over this for the last three days only to ensure that there is no discussion on the money being given to women," he said.
"I will take them to court. I will file a defamation case," Sirsa added.
Sources told NDTV that Sirsa is likely to send legal notices to AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj and party MLA Sanjeev Jha over the allegations.
Sirsa had earlier given the two AAP leaders 24 hours to withdraw their allegations and issue a public apology, failing which he had said he would initiate legal proceedings.
Deputy Speaker Seeks Action Over Uproar
Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht sought strict action and said the matter should be referred to the Privileges Committee.
"This House functions according to rules. The matter should immediately be referred to the Privileges Committee and strict action should be taken," he said.
Speaker Vijender Gupta also accused the opposition of disrupting proceedings for three consecutive days and not participating in discussions.
"This is an irresponsible attitude of the opposition. I strongly condemn it. The House has been continuously disturbed for the last three days and they have not participated in the discussion. This is inappropriate," he said.
"What the opposition members did today is against the traditions of the House," the Speaker added.
What AAP Has Alleged In Rice Row
AAP has accused the BJP-led Delhi government of irregularities in an arrangement involving subsidised rice meant for poor and needy people in the capital.
AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that an Assam-based corporation had sought subsidised rice for distribution among Delhi's poor and that a representation was sent to Food and Supplies Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
According to AAP, Sirsa forwarded the representation to his department with a note asking that it be considered as per rules. The party alleged that officials subsequently approached the Food Corporation of India for around 31,000 metric tonnes of rice every week.
AAP alleged that the subsidised rice, instead of reaching the intended beneficiaries, was sold to a private company in Haryana at a higher price.
The party has claimed that the proposed arrangement, if continued for three years, could have involved rice worth around Rs 22,000 crore. The Rs 22,000-crore figure is AAP's calculation and not an officially established loss.
Bharadwaj has demanded Sirsa's resignation, while AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha has also questioned the minister's role in the matter.
