Members creating ruckus in any legislature is normal, and the House meetings of the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh (MCC) are no different. But by deliberately and dangerously breaking bangles and glass water bottles and tumblers in the 325th General House meeting of the MCC on Tuesday, apparently as a mark of protest, a couple of angry Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors brought probably the biggest shame to the House ever.
The AAP councillors – Prem Lata and leader of the party in the House Jasbir Singh Laddi – resorted to violence when eight of AAP’s 13 councillors were suspended by Mayor Anup Gupta for the rest of the day’s proceedings and were being ushered out of the House by marshals.
Marshals stand by to evict the suspended AAP councillors
Photos By : Life In Chandigarh
These eight AAP councillors were collectively cornered in the House today by all the BJP, Congress, lone Akali Dal and the nominated councillors, demanding an apology from them over their “unwarranted” defamatory comments made at a press conference against councillors who were part of a recent official study tour organised by the MCC to Goa.
Soon after the House began proceedings, following an unusual 9-minute delayed start, the issue was raised by Senior Deputy Mayor Kanwarjeet Rana, who brandished a copy of a Hindi newspaper cutting carrying the allegations made by councillor Daman Preet Singh on behalf of all the eight AAP councillors who had attended the press conference that it was not a study tour but a tour for brashtachar and sair sapata (corruption and tourism).
Agitating councillors, brandishing copies of a Hindi newspaper report, demad an apology from AAP councillors
Describing the allegations as wild, unfounded, unwarranted and irresponsible, he demanded an unconditional apology from Daman Preet Singh on behalf of the eight AAP councillors because it had hurt the dignity of the House as a whole since it was an official all party tour in which the AAP councillors did not join by their own choice.
Kanwarjeet’s demand found instant resonance across the House as not only BJP, but Congress, Akali Dal and nominated councillors also joined issue, vociferously demanding an apology. Both Daman Preet and Jasbir Singh Laddi tried to divert the issue my linking it with the previous alleged use of abusive language by member of Parliament Kirron Kher against Jasbir Singh Laddi in the House, and asserting that no action had been taken against her.
A nominated councillor pointing to the smashed water bottles and glasses
The agitated BJP, Congress, Akali Dal and nominated councillors then trooped into the well of the House, raising slogans denouncing the AAP and demanding an apology. After Daman Preet refused to budge despite repeated calls by Mayor Anup Gupta to withdraw his allegations and apologise to the House, he asserted that if the councillors could not uphold the dignity of the House they had no right to remain in the House.
He ordered all eight AAP councillors to be suspended for the remaining period of the House meeting and directed the watch and ward staff to usher them out of the House.
At this stage AAP councillor Prem Lata, well known for her furious and belligerent behaviour in the House, removed her glass bangles and threw them at the Mayor’s podium. The shards of the broken bangles narrowly missed hitting the Mayor, Municipal Commissioner Anindita Mitra and Joint Commissioner Gurinder Singh Sodhi.
Jasbir Singh Laddi inspecting his injured left hand
Coming to the aid of Daman Preet, while he was being physically removed from the House by the marshals, Jasbir Singh Laddi quite deliberately and violently swept the glass water bottles and tumblers off a table, earlier occupied by AAP women councillors, smashing many of them to pieces. He himself received cut wounds in the process and was seen repeatedly examining and wringing his injured left hand.
The drama lasted for well over two hours and as the proceedings resumed and the AAP behaviour continued to be bashed by non-AAP councillors, Jasbir Singh Laddi staged a walkout with the remaining AAP councillors.
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