Arvind Kejriwal tables Jan Lokpal Bill; Cong, BJP call it unconstitutional
4:55 pm: Such kind of behaviour will not be tolerated: Harsh Vardhan
Harsh Vardhan reads out LG’s letter over Jan Lokpal Bill.
Addressing the Delhi Assembly, Vardhan said, “AAP government does not enjoy the power to introduce the Jan Lokpal Bill.”
4:15 pm: Speaker has diminished dignity of his post: Cong leader
Criticising Speaker MS Dhir for allowing tabling of Jan Lokpal Bill, Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely said that for the first time he has seen an Assembly Speaker every time looking at the Chief Minister when any objection by the lawmakers is made, while he should be following the rule book.
Another Congress leader Hasan Ahmed said that the Speaker has diminished the dignity of his post.
4:05 pm: Discussion on introduction of Bill will be held: Kejriwal
Minutes after tabling the Jan Lokpal Bill in Delhi Assembly Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that discussion on the introduction of the Bill will be held. Speaker has given his nod for discussion on the ombudsman bill.
4:00 pm: House adjourned for 20 minutes
As Kejriwal introduced the Jan Lokpal Bill, both Congress and BJP MLAs jumped into the well and said it is unconstitutional on part of the Speaker to allow tabling of the bill. Speaker then adjourned the House.
3:50 pm: Arvind Kejriwal tables Jan Lokpal Bill
Amidst uproar, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tabled Jan Lokpal Bill. The CM seeked debate or voting on Janlokpal Bill after tabling it. Opposition alleged that the Speaker is acting like an AAP leader.
3:45 pm: No voting needed on Lt Governor’s letter: Sisodia
Amidst uproar by BJP and Congress MlAs, Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia said that there is no need for voting on Najeeb Jung’s letter on Jan Lokpal Bill. The AAP leader, however said if voting has to take place than a discussion on the letter should precede that.
Kejrwal said Lt Governor has not written in his letter that voting should be conducted.
3:30 pm: Speaker reads out Lt Governor’s letter
Speaker MS Dhir reads out Lt Governor Najeeb Jung’s letter on Jan Lokpal Bill. BJP, Congress MLAs demand voting to be conducted over the letter.
3:25 pm: House resumes
3:10 pm: Speaker calls all party meet
After ruckus in Assembly, Delhi Speaker MS Dhir called for an all party meet to clarify on Lt Governor’s letter on Jan Lokpal Bill addressed to him. The Speaker had refused to present Jung’s letter in the Assembly when demanded by the BJP leaders.
3:00 pm: Amidst uproar by Congress and BJP MLAs House was adjourned for 20 minutes.
2:55 pm: A BJP leader demanded that Lt Governor Najeeb Jung’s letter to the Speaker tabled in the Assembly. He further said that disobeying Lt Governor’s order is contempt of the Assembly.
2:42 pm: Bring Jan Lokpal Bill in a constitutional way: JD(U) MLA
JD(U) leader Shoiab Iqbal demanded Jan Lokpal Bill to be tabled in a constitutional manner.
Iqbal said he would not tolerate the way Lt Governor Najeeb Jung has been disrespected by the AAP government.
2:35 pm: Cong demands discussion on Somanth Bharti
Congress leader Haroon Yusuf targeted Law Minsiter Somnath Bharti and said that a discussion should be held on the behaviour of the AAP MLA.
Congress is not against the Jan Lokpal Bill, but the way it is being tabled, Yusuf said.
2:30 pm: Somnath Bharti should be sacked, says Vardhan
Addressing the Delhi Assembly, BJP leader Dr Harsh Vardhan said last night we were given a circular regarding the Assembly proceedings, but the Jan Lokpal Bill was not there in the circular.
The BJP leader targetted Law Minister Somnath Bharti and said he should be sacked.
These days there is a trend going on which is showcasing that all the politicians irrespective of political parties are corrupt and are against Jan Lokpal Bill, Dr Harsh Vardhan said.
We are thousand times more committed than AAP govt for the passage of Jan Lokpal Bill, the BJP leader said.
Harsh Vardhan said nobody should spread lies that BJP is against anti-corruption bill.
2:15 pm: Arvind Kejriwal family members – mother, father, wife and son also inside Assembly session.
2:10 pm: Delhi BJP MLA Ram Singh Bidhuri serves notice for suspension of Delhi Assembly proceedings for Sant Ravidas’ birthday. He said that Kejriwal has disrespected Ravidas.
1:55 pm: Union Minster hits out at Kejriwal
Hitting out at Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Union Minster V Narayanasamy said that the AAP leader should behave like a chief minister and follow the law of the country.
1:45 pm: Jan Lokpal Bill is constitutional: Sisodia
Briefing the reporters, AAP leader Manish Sisodia said Jan Lokpal Bill is constitutional and we will try to pass the bill. When asked whether Arvind Kejriwal would resign if the bill is not passed, the Delhi Minister said that the AAP government would do everything possible to get the bill passed.
1:30 pm: Congress continues to support AAP: Lovely
Addresing a press conference, Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely said that the party backs Jan Lokpal Bill, but the way AAP government is trying to table it is unconstitutional and we don’t support such a move. The Congress continues to support the AAP, he further said.
Kejriwal government has broken all the records of speaking lie, Lovely said.
Lovely rejected Kejriwal’s allegations of Congress, BJP being together. He said both the national parties have different ideologies.
1:25 pm: No support to Jan Lokpal Bill: Haroon Yusuf
Congress leader Haroon Yusuf said that the way Arvind Kejriwal government is trying to table the ombudsman bill is unconstitutional and his party will not support it.
1:15 pm: Kejriwal meets Lt Governor
Hours after LT Governor asked the Delhi Assembly Speaker not to allow tabling of the bill, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia met Najeeb Jung. The details of the meeting are awaited. At present both the AAP leaders are meeting Delhi Speaker MS Dhir.
1:10 pm: Plea filed in HC against Jan Lokpal Bill
A petition was filed in Delhi High Court on Friday against tabling of Jan Lokpal Bill. The PIL contends that Lt Governor’s clearance is necessary before the bill is tabled in Delhi Assembly.
12:55 pm: Congress, BJP hit out at AAP
BJP leader Dr Harsh Vardhan said that his party will not support the Jan Lokapl Bill as its being tabled in an unconstitutional manner. He alleged that the AAP government is making mockery of the law.
A Congress leader speaking exclusively to Zee Media said that Arvind Kejriwal is not serious about the bill and doesn’t want it to get passed.
He further alleged that the Delhi CM is misleading the public. The Congress leader asserted that his party will support Lt Governor’s stand on the ombudsman bill and said that the way the AAP govt is trying to table the bill is unconstitutional.
Earlier, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung said that the ombudsman bill cannot be tabled as it has not been approved by him.
11:30 am: ‘Jan Lokpal Bill can’t be tabled without my approval’
As Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal remains adamant on his stand of resigning if the Jan Lokpal Bill is not passed in the ongoing Assembly session, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung on Friday said that the ombudsman bill cannot be tabled as it has not been approved by him.
Jung today wrote to Delhi Speaker MS Dhir asking him not to allow tabling of the bill as it is yet to get his clearance.
In a letter to Assembly Speaker MS Dhir, the LG said the AAP government did not go through the laid down procedures in getting approval for tabling of the bill and as custodian of the House he should consider these aspects while dealing with the issue.
Top sources said crux of Jung’s letter was that the Speaker should not allow tabling of the bill.
Jung’s statement comes after Kejriwal said that his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government will introduce the Jan Lokpal Bill in Delhi Assembly on Friday.
11:05 am: Rift emerges within AAP
A rift appears to have emerged within AAP as party leader Ashok Agarwal wants the party to follow legal framework while introducing the bill.
The Delhi government had yesterday failed to table the bill due to repeated disruptions by the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs.
10:45 am: Bill is unconstitutional, says JD(U) MLA
JD(U) MLA Shoaib Iqbal, whose support is critical for passage of the bill, was today quoted as saying that the bill is unconstitutional.
10: 15 am: No compromise on Jan Lokpal Bill, says Sisodia
Meanwhile, Delhi Minister and close confidante of Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia today said there will be no compromise on Jan Lokpal Bill.
Later, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also endorsed and re-tweeted the minister’s tweet. Kejriwal has threatened that if the bill is not passed he would resign.
Kejriwal threatens to resign
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is adamant on passing the ombudsman bill and has even threatened to resign if bill is not cleared, said that the government did not introduce the bill on Thursday as it wanted the copy of the bill to be seen by all the Lawmakers. “We will table the Jan Lokpal Bill on Friday,” the AAP leader said.
The Law Ministry has made it clear that it was necessary to take the Centre’s consent before introducing the Bill in the Assembly
The first day of the session specially convened to pass the anti-graft legislation saw a stormy start with BJP and Congress repeatedly disrupted the proceedings leading to the house’s adjournment by Speaker MS Dhir.
The Congress – which props up the government from outside – has opposed the bill since the AAP government did not get the central government’s nod before it is introduced in the Assembly, an IANS report said.
Kejriwal said his government was ready to extend the session for the passage of the bill. He however, retreated his stand of quitting if the bill gets stuck.
“We are ready to extend the session. We are not here to save the government. We will table the bill tomorrow. If they allow then it is okay, otherwise I will resign,” he told reporters.
The AAP leader also accused the Congress and the BJP of joining hands to paralyse the Delhi Assembly so that the Jan Lokpal Bill is not passed.
“This is the first time in India both the Congress and the BJP had such a synchronized setting,” Kejriwal said.
“I don’t think this had happened in the history of India in any legislative assembly where BJP and Congress came together. They have exposed themselves,” PTI quoted Kejriwal as saying.
“The way they were charging at me, I thought they were coming to beat me up. They broke the mike in front of my seat and tore papers. They also broke speaker’s two mikes. Similar things happened in the Parliament today. I was thinking is it democracy. This is anything but democracy,” he said.
The AAP government is desperate to pass the anti-graft bill during the four-day session which started on Thursday, but it seems to be daunting task for it as it has only 28 MLAs in the 70 member Delhi Assembly. To its dilemma, the AAP had recently expelled its rebel MLA Vinod Kumar Binny.
The BJP has 31, Congress, which has lent outside support to AAP has 8 MLAs and the Janata Dal-United legislator and an independent virtually having one each. All these have come together citing one reason or the other to block the clearance of the bill.
