NEW DELHI: Delhi Social Welfare Minister Ravinder Indraj Singh on Wednesday mounted a strong attack on the opposition in the Delhi Assembly, accusing it of repeatedly disrupting proceedings of the House and deliberately avoiding serious discussion on important issues concerning the public. Speaking to mediapersons in the Assembly premises, Singh said those who had “ruined Delhi for 11 years” entered the House with their faces covered, taking a pointed jibe at opposition MLAs.
Stating that those responsible for destroying the capital during their tenure should indeed come only after hiding their faces, Singh alleged that the opposition’s so-called “industrial mask” came off the very next day, exposing its true intent and lack of seriousness towards legislative business.
Singh said that from the very beginning, the BJP-led government had sought meaningful and constructive discussions in the Assembly, especially on critical issues such as air pollution and the worsening Air Quality Index (AQI). However, he accused the opposition of deliberately wasting the time of the House and the hard-earned money of taxpayers by creating repeated disruptions.
The Social Welfare Minister said that Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta had even convened a special session to facilitate discussion on these pressing concerns, and that the government had repeatedly appealed to the opposition to return to the House and participate in debates. Despite this, he alleged, opposition members continued to disrupt proceedings on a daily basis by staging protests. He also criticised the opposition’s conduct during the Lieutenant Governor’s address, describing it as irresponsible and unbecoming of elected representatives.
Singh further claimed that the opposition was feeling uneasy because the work carried out by the Delhi government in the past 11 months had surpassed what was achieved during the opposition’s 11-year tenure. He said the BJP government was working with full commitment and dedication to resolve long-pending civic problems, including garbage management and other issues inherited from the previous dispensation.
Condemning the language allegedly used by the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Singh said the remarks made against the Sikh Gurus were “extremely shameful and condemnable.” He said nurturing such sentiments and using such words against the Gurus and families who sacrificed their lives for the nation was deplorable, and demanded that AAP leaders tender an apology to the entire country.
“The people of Delhi are watching everything very closely and are fully capable of distinguishing the truth,” Singh said, adding that the Bharatiya Janata Party was completely prepared for discussions in the House and would continue to work relentlessly in the interest of the national capital.
