Delhi Assembly To Streets: BJP Protests Atishi's 'Insensitive' Sikh Guru Remark

What started as repeated disruptions inside the Delhi Assembly has now spilled onto the streets of the national capital. After days of chaos during the Winter Session over Leader of the Opposition Atishi's alleged "insensitive" remarks on Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur, the Delhi BJP on Friday escalated its protest, marching against the Aam Aadmi Party and demanding an apology and her resignation.

Hundreds of BJP supporters, including members of the party's Sikh unit, marched towards the AAP headquarters, raising slogans against Atishi and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal. Heavy police deployment was seen along the route as protesters attempted to move closer to the party office, turning the political standoff into a full-blown street protest.

BJP Hardens Stance, Demands Apology

BJP leaders said the street protest reflected growing anger that had already paralysed Assembly proceedings for days.

BJP MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat termed Atishi's remarks in the House "shocking". "The kind of words used by Leader of the Opposition Atishi during the discussion on the Guru Tegh Bahadur programme in the Delhi Assembly are shocking. Guru Tegh Bahadur, known as the protector of India, sacrificed himself for his community. She should apologise for her statement and resign," Sehrawat said.

BJP MLA Kailash Gehlot said the controversy could not be brushed aside. "The issue currently unfolding in the House is very serious. The words used by Atishi regarding the Gurus were highly inappropriate and alarming," he said.

Former Delhi minister and BJP leader Arvinder Singh Lovely also joined the protest, calling the language used in the Assembly "disgraceful". "It is very saddening. The language used by the opposition leaders is shameful and disgraceful. It amounts to insulting the greatest saints who have contributed to India's spiritual heritage," Lovely said.

BJP MP Yogender Chandolia said the party would continue to press for accountability. "Atishi has insulted Guru Tegh Bahadur during the Delhi Assembly session. Today, we are here demanding her resignation. On one hand, the BJP-led Delhi government commemorates the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, and on the other, the AAP insults him. We will not tolerate this," Chandolia said.

Chaos Continues Inside House

Even as protests unfolded on the streets, the confrontation inside the Delhi Assembly showed no signs of easing. Four AAP MLAs- Sanjeev Jha, Jarnail Singh, Som Dutt and Kuldeep Kumar, were marshalled out of the House amid sloganeering and repeated disruptions.

AAP leaders accused the BJP of using the controversy to avoid discussion on governance issues.

AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha said the opposition was punished for raising questions. "The BJP is running away from Delhi's serious issues. The Speaker himself had said that Kapil Mishra's video would be sent to a lab for investigation. We only said that the video should not be shared until the investigation is completed, and for saying just this, we were thrown out of the House," Jha said.

AAP's Jarnail Singh alleged selective action by the Speaker. "Democracy is being trampled inside the Delhi Assembly. Yesterday, BJP MLAs created a massive ruckus, but no action was taken. Today, when our MLAs sought permission to speak, we were thrown out," he said.

Speaker Orders Forensic Probe

Amid the escalating political battle, Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta had earlier ordered a forensic examination of the video containing the alleged remarks attributed to Atishi. The matter has also been referred to the Privileges Committee, with directions to submit a report within 15 days.

According to the Delhi Assembly secretariat, the inquiry will examine the authenticity and context of the remarks.