AAP-BJP spar over 'CAG report' on AAP govt's advertisement spending

The AAP and the BJP on Wednesday sparred in the Assembly with the latter accusing the ruling party of “unconstitutionally hiding” a purported CAG report “which exposes wastage of public money” on advertisements and demanded the House be “dissolved” over the issue.

AAP MLAs, led by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, went on offensive following allegations made by Leader of the Opposition Vijender Gupta who insisted the city government was sitting on “the report as it exposes wastage of public money”.

Gupta kept on disrupting the proceedings and demanded the dissolution of the Assembly before staging a walkout, along with another BJP MLA Jagdish Pradhan.

Sisodia said he has no knowledge of such report and suggested the Centre was trying to “falsely implicate” the AAP.

“I don’t have any knowledge about any such thing. As and when we receive any report we will table it. It seems his (Gupta) masters have written to the CAG and are expecting something on that basis. That’s why such demands are being made,” Sisodia said.

Gupta also had a heated argument with AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan who at one point asked the officials to switch off the microphone at the BJP MLA’s desk.

Gupta objected and asked why Khan was “behaving like the Speaker”.

Referring to Gupta’s demand of dissolution of the House, AAP MLA Alka Lamba said the matter should be forwarded to the privileges committee of the House so that action can be taken against him.

Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said Gupta was not raising the issue under the appropriate section. He said it was not a point of order as claimed by the BJP leader.

The four-day-session of the Assembly began on August 22.