Atishi writes to Assembly speaker, calls suspension of AAP MLAs 'blow to democracy'

Atishi condemns suspensions of AAP MLAs in Delhi Assembly, alleging suppression of opposition voices and violation of democratic traditions.

The suspension of 21 AAP MLAs from the Delhi Assembly was an "insult” to people’s mandate and a “blow to democracy”, Leader of Opposition Atishi said in a letter to Speaker Vijender Gupta on Friday (February 28, 2025).

Condemning the suspensions, Ms. Atishi alleged that opposition voices were being deliberately suppressed.

In her letter to the speaker in Hindi, Ms. Atishi expressed concern over the events in the Delhi Assembly, where she claimed that opposition MLAs faced discriminatory treatment for their protests.

She claimed AAP legislators were suspended after they raised slogans of “Jai Bhim” during Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena's address, while BJP MLAs who chanted “Modi-Modi” faced no consequences.

The controversy escalated when the suspended AAP MLAs, including Ms. Atishi, were barred from entering the assembly premises to stage a peaceful protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Thursday. The opposition leader argued that such restrictions were unprecedented and violated democratic traditions.

"This is the first time in the Delhi Assembly that the elected MLAs were not even allowed to enter the assembly premises," she said, adding that the decision was aimed at "suppressing the opposition and crushing their voice".

On Tuesday, 21 AAP MLAs, including Ms. Atishi, were suspended for disrupting the LG's inaugural address by raising slogans against the alleged removal of portraits of B R Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh from Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's office in the assembly.