New Delhi, Eight Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs were marshalled out of the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday by Speaker Vijender Gupta after they raised slogans and disrupted proceedings demanding the resignation of Food Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
AAP had been protesting against Sirsa since the start of the session alleging a rice scam by the Delhi government. Sirsa has denied the charge.
The MLAs sent out of the House were -- Sanjeev Jha, Jarnail Singh, Kuldeep Kumar, Som Dutt, Ajay Dutt, Virendra Kadyan, Surinder Kumar and Chaudhary Zubair Ahmed.
Soon after the House resumed proceedings after a lunch break, AAP members started raising slogans holding placards demanding Sirsa's resignation.
"This will not be tolerated. This is very irresponsible behaviour of the Opposition. They have tried to disrupt the session continuously over the past three days," Gupta said while directing the marshals to take the AAP MLAs out.
PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh claimed that AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar "threw something towards the officials present".
"This is not acceptable behaviour and the marshals should throw them out immediately," Singh said.
Sirsa threatened to file a defamation case against AAP.
"We did not buy or sell any rice. We had a representation from a company. I only wrote 'maybe considered as per rules'. There is no real issue left with the Opposition. I will take them to court in a defamation matter," the minister said inside the House.
BJP MLA Ajay Mahawar requested Speaker Gupta to ban Kumar from the Assembly for an entire year for his conduct.
